BBC Midlands Today

Plans to increase the number of rail services to Birmingham International and Coventry along with new direct services to the West Midlands have been submitted to the government.

The proposals from regional transport lobby group Midlands Connect , externalcould cost up to £180m and it says construction could begin as early as 2024 if ministers approve them.

The scheme would include the first direct services to northern cities such as Sheffield and Durham and a doubling of services to Birmingham International and Coventry from places such as Leamington Spa and Reading.

The lobby group said the improvements would come from double tracking sections of the existing railway and using additional capacity created by the HS2 rail project.

Three men who were reportedly the victims of racist threats and had beer spat over them are being urged to come forward by police.

Image source, Google

The Staffordshire force said, external it happened at Wombourne Pool Bar on Saturday night when the trio, described as Asian, were drinking there.

One of them was approached and warned to leave and shortly afterwards a man came up and spat the beer over one of them.

BBC Midlands Today

Children are being given the chance to design the official mascot for the Birmingham Commonwealth Games.

The winning design will be seen by millions around the world and games organisers hope it will reflect the West Midland's identity, heritage and culture. , external

They say the best entries from children aged from five to 15 will "inspire the official mascot" and have to be submitted by 5 August.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The number of gulls in Worcester has risen by almost 150% in the past 14 years, a report has estimated.

Independent specialist Peter Rock has told the city council they have gone up from 227 pairs in 2003 to 1,072 pairs in April this year, meaning it now qualifies as a "large colony".

Image source, Getty Images

The study also revealed 85% of the population is black-backed gulls and the remaining 15% are herring gulls.

Both are protected species, limiting the methods that can be use to reduce the population.

The report said netting, spikes and plastic birds of prey had been ineffectual, but Natural England only grants licences to remove eggs or destroy nests where there is enough evidence of harm to public health or safety.

Worcestershire sign Gloucestershire batsman Gareth Roderick on a three-year contract.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Donations left outside a charity's shops in the West Midlands are being disposed of because of the threat of Covid-19.

Image source, The Beacon Centre

The Beacon Centre, which supports people with sight loss, says it has seen a surge in items left outside but has no way of knowing if they've come from homes free of coronavirus.

Instead it wants people to leave their details and confirm their household has no symptoms.

The charity has seven shops with three currently open, in Sedgley, the Wolverhampton Clearance Centre and the Penkridge branch.

BBC News Travel

The M5 in Worcestershire, heading south from junction seven, is going to remain closed after a crash which caused damage to the road surface.

Highways England said there had been no serious injuries and it was working to release trapped traffic.

Image source, Highways England

BBC Weather

It should be mainly cloudy and dry tonight as well as feeling milder than in recent days, with a low of 13C (55F).

Image source, Poetic Verse

Then it will get warmer on Thursday with some sunny spells and a high of 21C (70F).

Keep up-to-date with the forecast where you live by going to the BBC Weather website.

Buzz Bingo says the coronavirus pandemic has had "an immediate and significant impact" on business.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council has warned shops in the town are facing a "perfect storm" as a result of coronavirus and that "a lot of closures are going to be inevitable".

Councillor Tony Jefferson said: "Even before the crisis hit, there were too many shops - that’s well accepted."

He said businesses were already suffering from internet competition, plus rates and rents that were "too high".

Image source, Google

Mr Jefferson said the shops would also suffer because tourists had been staying away from the town and had been unable to visit places such as the Royal Shakespeare Theatre.

"I think there is going to be the need for some very creative reinvention of the high street and hopefully lower rents and lower rates will make that possible,” he said.

He predicted it could be 2022 before the town's economy recovered to 2018 levels.

BBC Midlands Today

A five-year-old boy who had his honesty shop raided by thieves has opened up a new shop - and his mum says the response from all over the world has been "overwhelming".

Rosie Clare said Harry was "absolutely devastated" when he found around £40, along with eggs, goats milk and soap had been taken from the box at the Rosebud Meadow glamping site in Malvern.

Harry wants to be a shopkeeper and had been using the money to buy Peter Rabbit and Paw Patrol magazines.

Rosie said it had been "heartbreaking for me, not only to think that someone had done that to him, but also to try and explain that to him when he was really upset why someone would do it to him."

BBC Weather Watchers

Lots of lovely flower photos are coming in from our BBC Weather Watchers in the West Midlands today, so we thought we'd share a few.

These three are from users Suttonwalker, in Rushall, Walsall; Mr Twister, in Leek, Staffordshire; and Raj's Range, in Telford, Shropshire.

Image source, Suttonwalker

Image source, Mr Twister

Image source, Raj's Range

Ted Hill is named Worcester's club captain aged 21 - their youngest skipper in 16 years of Premiership rugby.

Staff at Dudley Zoo say they're devastated at the death of a Bornean orangutan called Jorong.

The 25-year-old arrived at the zoo in 2008 and was part of a breeding programme for the critically endangered species.

Image source, Dudley Zoo

His partner Jazz gave birth to a daughter named Sprout in 2011 and the zoo said he had died while undergoing treatment for a long-term illness.

A post-mortem examination will be carried out to find out the cause of death.

Three farm workers, one of them with coronavirus, who left a Herefordshire farm despite being told to remain on the site have been found.

Up to 200 workers were told to self-isolate and the A S Green and Co farm was locked down after 73 people tested positive for Covid-19.

Herefordshire Council said: "All three of these individuals have been reached through the agency that secured their employment and all have confirmed they are self-isolating."

A young amateur golfer wins a sportsmanship award named after Jim Furyk - and is congratulated by the man himself.

Dudley News

The Dudley News is covering these stories today:

• Woman rescued from overturned car after crash outside Himley Hall, external
• Metro stop to be officially named after Dudley Castle, external
• Proposal for four Blackheath shops with HMO above, external

Police investigating the murder of a 38-year-old woman at her home in Solihull are conducting searches nearby in a hunt for evidence.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Image source, West Midlands Police

Kerry Woolley was found with fatal injuries to her neck at her flat in Warwick Road at 15:20 BST on Sunday.

Image source, West Midlands Police/ Family Handout

A 37-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder and remains in police custody for questioning.

West Midlands Police did not disclose what its officers were searching for in the water. However, its specialist search squad said it was "vital evidence".

Rosie Keogh welcomes a judgement that says it is unlawful not to rent to people on housing benefit.

Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

A man carrying a clipboard and claiming to be from the council or a local church has carried out four distraction burglaries, police said., external

He's carried out the offences in the Hanley and Cobridge area of Stoke-on-Trent over the past few days.

As well as the clipboard, the man's also used a lanyard as a prop and talked his way into victims’ houses before stealing items, officers said.