A large plume of smoke is being reported by numerous people on social media this afternoon.

It appears to be coming from a fire in or near the Sparkbrook area and we are waiting to hear more information from the fire service.

Image source, @ccsnationwide

Police are appealing, external for witnesses and dashcam footage after a man in his 40s died in a crash involving two cars in Whitney on Wye in Herefordshire on Sunday 9 August.

The crash took place at around 12:50. It involved a Skoda and a Honda, which was towing a speedboat in the direction of the A438 towards Brecon.

The man died at the scene.

The two were arrested on suspicion of child neglect and possession with intent to supply drugs.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A cow's been rescued by firefighters after getting stuck in a river.

Image source, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service said, external the large animal couldn't get out from reeds in standing water on a farm in Marton, near Rugby.

The cow was rescued and fire crews said she seemed fit and well if exhausted from trying to release herself.

A combination of good weather and the coronavirus lockdown have led to a surge in interest in allotments in Worcester.

The city's allotment forum, which monitors 26 sites, says the waiting list for plots has doubled to more than 300 people since the arrival of the pandemic.

Forum chair Maz Williams says the fact that during lockdown people were still allowed to go down to allotments has "massively increased the interest". She hopes the interest will stay long-term.

This week is National Allotment Week, external.

A resident from Birmingham describes "a river" outside her home after a pipe burst in the area.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A teenager's been shot in Coventry.

Image source, Google

The 18-year-old's injuries are not thought to be serious, police said,, external after they were called to reports of shots being fired at Edgwick Park on Saturday morning.

Weapons were found after the park was searched but the force hasn't revealed what they were.

Officers investigating the shooting said a man and a woman, both 19 years old, were arrested on suspicion of possession of cannabis with intent to supply and released under investigation.

The Met Office is predicting thunderstorms and sudden torrential downpours across Shropshire and north Worcestershire as the humidity rises this afternoon.

A line of localised storms are working their way eastwards.

The Environment Agency's manager for Herefordshire and Worcestershire, Dave Throup, is warning of the risk of flash flooding.

The woman's death is being treated as unexplained as police inquiries continue.

The child and driver both sustained minor injuries when the van crashed through the wall.

Emma Thomas
Reporter, BBC Midlands Today

The mother of a child who suffered minor injuries when a van crashed into their house has said it could have been very different if it had happened a few seconds later.

I've been to the home on Chatham Road, Northfield, Birmingham, where the vehicle crashed through what was a porch, a door and a hallway this morning.

The driver suffered minor injuries and the two-year-old boy was treated for minor injuries at the time.

His mother didn't want to go on camera to speak to Midlands Today but told me she was walking down the stairs at the time, there was a loud bang and a burst of dust.

She panicked as she couldn't reach her son but as the dust settled she realised he was unharmed.

Tonight, the housing association which owns the house has made sure they have somewhere to stay while teams assess the damage and work out what happens next.

Storms look to be building around south Shropshire and north Worcestershire, with reports of lightning strikes near Bridgnorth and Kidderminster.

Several flood alerts are in place, external across Birmingham and the Black Country, as well as parts of Warwickshire and south Staffordshire.

This from the Environment Agency's Dave Throup looks ominous for the next few days.

The RAC has apologised to a family from Halesowen after they were left stuck in a smart motorway refuge on the M5 in Worcestershire for hours.

Melissa Kynoch, her elderly mother and two young children broke down on the M5 between junctions 5 and 4a on Thursday 6 August.

With no hard shoulder, Ms Kynoch says she initially stopped in the slow lane and phoned the RAC, while her 82-year old mother called the police.

Melissa said: "We were stuck in that particular spot for two hours. Nobody came".

Image source, Melissa Kynoch

Highways England said the lane was closed as soon as it was notified. Traffic officers then towed Melissa's car to an emergency refuge, but Ms Kynoch says it took a further four hours for an RAC recovery team to arrive.

The RAC has apologised to Ms Kynoch for the quality of service, offering a refund on her membership. Highways England said it appreciated "how distressing this must have been for the driver".

Coventry Live

The Coventry Live website's covering these stories today:

• Hunt still on for gunman after teenager shot in Coventry, external
• Travellers set up camp near to children's park, external
• Outrage after toilet roll covered with poo left hanging in trees at beauty spot, external

Local Democracy Reporting Service
George Makin

Several councillors in Sandwell are being investigated for allegedly breaking Covid-19 rules.

Image source, Reuters

A report to the local authority's Ethical Standards Committee says officers are investigating two councillors while assessing similar allegations against others.

None of the accused are named in the report., external

It comes as Sandwell is working to contain a spike in coronavirus cases in the past few weeks and last month was named an area of concern by Public Health England.

Latest figures do show the number of cases coming down with 59 new cases recorded in the seven days to 4 August compared with 88 for the week before.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A scheme aimed at reconnecting a city's residents with the river hidden beneath their feet has been given more than £250,000.

Image source, Warwickshire Wildlife Trust

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust , externalis aiming to get people in Coventry better connected with the River Sherbourne which disappears from view as it winds through the area.

Its scheme would see existing heritage structures such as two bridges and a ruined chapel on the river restored and use of technology such as virtual reality to reveal the course of the waterway.

The trust said the National Lottery Heritage fund has given it £253,600 to develop the plans with the aim of getting a full lottery grant of £1.8m in the future towards the total cost of the project.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A couple who ended up in hospital after a fire started by a charging e-cigarette said they were "incredibly lucky" it wasn't worse.

Image source, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service

Jennifer Brown, 35, and Scot Washington, 34, were at home on Barthomley Crescent, Crewe, on the morning of Friday 31 July when they heard a popping noise from an upstairs bedroom, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said., external

When Mr Washington opened the bedroom door, smoke flooded out and they put the blaze out with nearby bottles of water after their children got out of the house.

The fire service said the pair felt they were lucky only to need hospital treatment after breathing in smoke.

Miss Brown said: "I shudder to think what would have happened had the e-cigarette been put on charge at night when we were all asleep."

Image source, Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service

Abdul Rahman Abubaker was shot in the Highgate area of the city more than two years ago.

BBC News Travel

Drivers heading south on the M6 near Stoke-on-Trent are facing long delays with two lanes shut after a crash this morning.

Image source, Highways England

The collision saw a large amount of diesel spill across the motorway between J16 and J15 at about 06:00, Highways England said. , external

It said, just after 13:00,, external a lorry had been removed from the scene and staff were working to repair the surface of the motorway.