Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter

People using parks in Birmingham are being asked to show respect after more than 1,700 tonnes of litter was cleared up in the first six months of the year.

That compares with just 460 tonnes for the same period last year.

Birmingham City Council said the problem has been worsened by people breaking lockdown rules by holding illegal raves.

June alone saw a seven-fold increase in rubbish, Councillor John O'Shea, in charge of parks, said.

Park staff have also been attacked, the council added.

“Last week beer bottles were thrown at one employee, but that is sadly just the tip of the iceberg," Mr O'Shea said.

Phil McCann
Cheshire Political Reporter, BBC News

No glass ketchup bottles, "one in, one out" at the toilets and no live music - it will be all change for people going to one local pub in Crewe tomorrow.

Inside the Eight Farmers pub, customers will only be allowed to sit with one other household, although outside they can be with up to six people from any number of "bubbles".

But if it rains, you won't be able to just run inside.

People will also have to text or scan a code to let the Eight Farmers have their details in case of contact tracing.

Despite all the changes, licensee Lisa Hamlett is still looking forward to being back in business.

"It'll be great for everyone to come back. Pubs aren't just somewhere for people to go and have a great time and drink, we're like a community thing so there's a lot of the elderly people that have not seen anyone for three months."

Georgina Forsythe says more needs to be done to recognise those who lost their lives in the pandemic.

An 18-year-old has been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after another man was attacked with a weapon, police say.

Image source, Google

The 48-year-old victim escaped through a window after the assault at a house in Chantry Road, Lozells at about 21:20 on Thursday, said West Midlands Police.

He was taken to hospital with serious injuries where he remains in a stable condition.

The suspect remains in police custody for questioning, the force added.

BBC Hereford and Worcester

Excitement is building at one restaurant in Worcester which plans to open one minute after midnight.

Many businesses will be allowed to open their doors tomorrow for the first time since March.

The owner of Ounce Bar & Kitchen, Shane Peckover, says staff have had a lot of interest as soon as they announced the early reopening time.

"We thought people have been itching to have something to eat, have a drink, get to the new norm so to speak."

He said it was only able to accommodate 35 people for the first night and was fully booked.

They have set up an online booking system and people can only enter through one door. , external

Emily Hird is one of those with a booking for a minute after midnight: "It's going to be an amazing atmosphere, it's something I'm probably never going to experience again."

Coventry Live

Some of the Coventry Live headlines today:

• School closes 'as a precaution' after two confirmed Covid-19 cases, external
• Coventry City of Culture to be delayed by months because of coronavirus, external
• These tourist destinations in Coventry and Warwickshire are gearing up to reopen, external

Three men have been charged with theft and driving offences following robberies in Stratford-upon-Avon.

A shop on Birmingham Road was targeted on 30 June and 1 July, said Warwickshire Police.

Two 25-year-old men and another aged 22 have all been released on bail.

They're set to appear at Leamington Magistrates' Court next month.

A collection of photographs of NHS workers including a midwife from the West Midlands have been shown on the big screen at London's Piccadilly Circus.

Image source, NHS

Midwife Claudia Anghel from University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire was one of those photographed by celebrity photographer John Rankin.

He took portraits of 12 people whose jobs have been critical in the coronavirus crisis to mark 72 years of the NHS.

BBC News Travel

Traffic has been stopped on a stretch of the M6 near Walsall.

There are long delays on the approach to the multi-vehicle crash on the northbound carriageway between J8 and J9.

Traffic is also slow on the southbound carriageway.

Birmingham Live

Some of the Birmingham Live headlines today include:

• The first Birmingham city centre pub to open after lockdown, external
• Smirking burglar who was chased from home jailed, external
• 'Utterly disgusting' man jailed after spitting in police officer's mouth, external

Warwickshire's ex-England wicketkeeper Tim Ambrose will retire at the end of the 2020 season.

BBC Business News

Branches of the restaurant chains Café Rouge and Belgo will close across the West Midlands after it was announced the company which owns the brands has gone into administration.

Image source, Google

Owner Casual Dining Group plans to close 91 outlets immediately, and 1,900 of the firm's 6,000 staff will lose their jobs.

Cafe Rouge branches set to close include Solihull, Harborne in Birmingham, Leamington Spa and the Birmingham Mailbox restaurant.

Belgo will close in Solihull and Crewe.

Restaurants in the UK were struggling even before the pandemic, but their revenues collapsed when the UK went into lockdown in March.

Restrictions will be eased from Saturday, but demand is likely to remain depressed for some time and some chains have already acknowledged the severity of the impact.

Worcester News

A few of the morning headlines from the Worcester News:

• Worcester museums are getting ready to reopen, external
• Mother takes to the skies for daughter who died aged seven, external
• Welcome home posters created by pupils for Oscar Saxelby-Lee, external

Reality Check

Tens of thousands of people around the UK are now setting out on the journey of recovery, having survived coronavirus.

Image source, Getty Images

The first thing Simon Farrell can remember, after being woken from a medically induced coma at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital, is trying to tear off his oxygen mask.

He had been in intensive care for 10 days, reliant on a ventilator just to breathe.

"I was trying to pull the mask off my face, and the nurse kept putting it back on," he recalls.

When doctors woke him up, his body had fought off the worst of Covid-19 but he still needed oxygen to support his damaged lungs. And the 46-year-old father-of-two was suffering from such severe delirium he was trying to deny himself the oxygen he required.

You can read more about his story and others here.

A tasty East Midlands derby and a key fixture in the battle to beat relegation are among the things to look out for in the Championship.

Cash and weapons have been seized during a police raid in Stoke-on-Trent.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

Officers discovered drugs, including cannabis and amphetamines, as well as a gas-powered gun and a large knife at six houses in the area of Portland Street, Hanley, on Thursday.

A substantial amount of cash was also seized.

Four men, aged between 25 and 47, are still in custody as detectives continue their investigation.

A body has been discovered at a property in Nuneaton.

Image source, Google

Paramedics discovered the man in his 50s at Sunnyside Court on Thursday afternoon.

Det Insp Dave Andrews from Nuneaton Serious and Complex Crime Team said: “Enquiries are in their early stages as we try to establish the circumstances leading to the man’s death.

The Warwickshire force is asking for anyone with information to come forward.

BBC Weather

It will be a cloudy day with a few outbreaks of rain and turning windy with highs of 18C (64F).

This lovely picture was taken by BBC Weather Watcher Z70 in Ranton, Staffordshire.

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/Z70

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Friday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, Twitter, external and Facebook., external

The move will "allow a fuller programme of public events", the organisation team says.