Summary

  • Updates from Monday 29 June to Sunday 5 July

  1. Coronavirus: What's off and what's still on?published at 12:24 British Summer Time 22 July 2020

    Christmas events join the National Eisteddfod and Green Man Festival on the list of cancellations.

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  2. Ruthless Man Utd deepen Villa worriespublished at 22:55 British Summer Time 9 July 2020

    Bruno Fernandes inspires Manchester United to another impressive Premier League victory that deepens Aston Villa's relegation worries.

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  3. Late Egan goal gives Sheff Utd victorypublished at 21:22 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    John Egan scores with a dramatic 93rd-minute header to give Europe-chasing Sheffield United victory over Wolves at Bramall Lane.

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  4. West Brom beat Derby to return toppublished at 20:26 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    West Bromwich Albion beat play-off hopefuls Derby County to return to the top of the Championship table.

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  5. Swansea impress in win at Birminghampublished at 20:05 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    Swansea City breathe life into their push for a return to the Premier League with an impressive 3-1 victory at Birmingham City.

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  6. White goods and tyres dumped in parklandpublished at 19:40 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    The Canal and River Trust says there has been an increase in fly-tipping along canals during lockdown.

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  7. Sports car firm announces new factory merger jobspublished at 18:15 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    Lotus Cars' steel fabrication and lightweight structures manufacturing will take place in Norwich.

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  8. Fire destroys 500-year-old pagan oakpublished at 17:58 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    The Whiteleaved Oak in the Malvern Hills is thought to have had spiritual significance.

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  9. Plans for hotel and steak restaurant at roundaboutpublished at 17:55 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    Local Democracy Reporting Service

    Plans have been submitted for an 80-bed Premier Inn, a Miller and Carter restaurant and a Costa drive-through on the outskirts of Shrewsbury.

    The Battlefield Roundabout site already has a Travelodge, pub, petrol station, Starbucks and Burger King and the planning application estimates up to 97 jobs would be created.

    Battlefield servicesImage source, Google

    The developer, Maximus Aequus, also wants 222 parking spaces and electric car charging points at the site, which is also close to Shrewsbury's cattle market.

    Agents acting for the company said traffic is expected to grow, once Shrewsbury's North West Relief Road is built.

  10. Stadium to be completed just months before Gamespublished at 17:54 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    Birmingham City Council says the £72m Commonwealth Games work is on schedule and on budget.

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  11. School to change house name in anti-racism stancepublished at 17:26 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    Robert Clive is widely credited with engineering British colonial rule in India in the 18th Century.

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  12. Bus and train operator warns over its futurepublished at 17:18 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    The transport operator First Group, which runs a number of bus and train services in the West Midlands, has issued a warning about its future viability.

    The company reported a loss of more than £150m for the year to the end of March, compared with a profit of almost £10m for the previous 12 months, and blamed a huge fall in passenger numbers during the coronavirus outbreak.

    GWR trainImage source, Getty Images

    First Group runs Great Western Railway services as well as First Bus in Worcestershire and Staffordshire.

  13. Taxi driver attacked and left in hospitalpublished at 16:32 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    BBC Shropshire

    A Telford taxi driver who was beaten up when he picked up passengers in the town in the early hours of Sunday morning said he wanted his attacker jailed.

    Amir Sajjad Malik told BBC Radio Shropshire said he was attacked and racially abused after insisting he was paid in advance.

    Amir Sajjad MalikImage source, Amir Sajjad Malik

    West Mercia Police said Mr Malik, who is in his 30s had been called to Sorbus Avenue to take three men to Admaston and described the man who attacked him as bald, in his twenties and wearing dark clothing.

    Mr Malik said he believed he was attacked because of the colour of his skin.

  14. Your photos: Grey cloud and rain around the regionpublished at 15:56 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    BBC Weather Watchers

    All around the West Midlands we're seeing photos of grey cloud and rain.

    These pictures were taken by BBC Weather Watchers in Lower Broadheath, Cardington and Birmingham.

    Lower BroadheathImage source, Mikesnapper
    CardingtonImage source, Peter Steggles
    BirminghamImage source, Timbo
  15. Flax mill to open up to tenants for first time in 33 yearspublished at 15:35 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    This autumn, for the first time since 1987, the top four floors of Shrewsbury's historic flax mill will be open to tenants again.

    Historic England has spent more than £20m on the restoration of the 220-year-old building and said it would offer a "unique work space for businesses and individuals".

    Later in the year, Historic England also plans to find an operator for a cafe inside the building.

    Shrewsbury FlaxmillImage source, Historic England

    The flax mill is the worlds' first iron-framed building and the techniques used in building it later enabled the construction of the first skyscrapers.

    For years, it was named the heritage building most "at risk" by Historic England.

    The organisation, then known as English Heritage, bought it in 2005 and has been carrying out renovation with the help of money from the National Lottery.

    Inside flaxmillImage source, Historic England

    Historic England said it is also looking for developers willing to build homes on the surrounding land and to "invest in the development of the remaining historic buildings."

  16. Why I'm giving truffles away for freepublished at 15:31 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    With restaurants only just starting to open, Mike Collison is struggling to sell his £30k harvest.

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  17. Parents of junior doctor with Covid-19 took 'quite a hit'published at 14:40 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    Clare Lissaman
    BBC News

    A junior doctor who lives with her parents said they were forced to self-isolate and miss work after she contracted coronavirus.

    Captain Hina Morjaria, an Army reservist from Kidsgrove, said her parents had to employ temporary staff to keep their pharmacy business afloat and took “quite a hit” financially.

    Captain MorjariaImage source, MOD

    The Royal Stoke doctor said she tried to self-isolate in the house but her parents also became ill.

    "Whilst I started to get unwell and that passed over about four or five days and then my parents started to show symptoms and it hit my dad really badly even though he is relatively fit,” she said.

    Captain Morjaria, 27, recently appeared in a publicity drive encouraging other NHS staff to consider a part-time military career.

  18. Fire destroys 500-year-old 'magnificent' oakpublished at 14:21 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    Footage shows the remains of an oak tree thought to be 500 years old after it was destroyed in a fire.

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  19. Is sexism behind beauty salons' continued closure?published at 13:52 British Summer Time 8 July 2020

    Hairdressers and pubs are open again but beauty salons are not. Are they being taken less seriously?

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