Updates from Monday 17 to Sunday 23 August
We've had rain across much of the West Midlands this morning as our BBC Weather Watchers have been finding out.
These three are from users BoardWalk in Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, Shaun in Stafford and Steve Blackman in Napton on the Hill, Warwickshire:
Image source, BoardWalk
Image source, Shaun
Image source, Steve Blackman
BBC Radio Stoke
Police are appealing for witnesses after anti-mask graffiti appeared on buildings across Stafford.
Image source, @tommossOver the past few days sightings have been reported on the O.kra restaurant, The Bird in Hand pub, on an office building and on a bus stop in Rising Brook.
In each case the graffiti reads: "We carnt (sic) breath" and "say noto (sic) mask's", along with a crude drawing of a mask.
Nick Gallagher-Hughes works at Topline Dance Studio and told BBC Radio Stoke they've been targeted three times although the paint is not the most annoying aspect.
"I wasn't sure what annoyed me most, the bad grammar and spelling or the fact that they had painted red all over our board."
Staffordshire Police is appealing for witnesses to come forward.
Shropshire's finds liaison officer said both would have given their owners "divine protection".
Read MoreBen Chrisene, Exeter City's youngest-ever player, joins Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.
Read MoreBBC Radio Stoke
A theatre in Cheshire's become the latest venue to postpone this year's pantomime.
Crewe Lyceum, which is owned by Cheshire East Council, said it wasn't possible to successfully put on shows while following social distancing guidelines.
In a statement on Facebook, external the theatre said the pantomime was being put back to 2021 and all performances were suspended until at least 31 January.
Earlier this month, the UK's biggest pantomime producer started cancelling its 2020 shows amid ongoing uncertainty about when theatres will be able to reopen fully.
Three people have been hurt in a two-car crash.
The collision was last night on the B4176 near Claverley, Shropshire, the ambulance service said. , external
A man driving one of the cars and a woman who was a passenger in the other both suffered serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
Paramedics said the other driver, a man, wasn't thought to be as badly hurt but was still taken to hospital for further checks.
Coventry Live
The Coventry Live website's covering these stories today:
BBC News Travel
Drivers are facing eight miles of congestion on the M40 southbound near Leamington Spa this afternoon after a vehicle fire.
Image source, Highways EnglandJust one lane is open past the scene, external of the blaze between J13 and J12, Highways England said.
Motorists are being warned of 90 minute delays and advised to consider using the M6 and M1 if heading from the West Midlands to London and south east England., external
Isobel Corrie was on a flight back from Thailand when James Birch had a cardiac arrest mid-flight.
Read MoreIllegal metal detecting has damaged part of the Malvern Hills, according to the trust which manages the area., external
Image source, Malvern Hills TrustRemoved and replaced turf showing where the activity has taken place at
Three men have been seen recently digging with detectors in North Quarry.
The Malvern Hills Trust said it suspected metal detecting was also responsible for damage seen on the Old Hills, Callow End and near Castlemorton Common.
It added removing or displacing turf or soil and using a metal detector on its land was an offence under its by-laws.
BBC Radio WM
People in Birmingham are being urged to take coronavirus seriously after a spike in the city's infection rate.
Image source, ReutersVisits to care homes in the city have been banned as the rate in the seven days to 14 August rose to 32.5 cases per 100,000 people, from 18.3 for the week before.
The city's public health director, Dr Justin Varney, said residents needed to take the increase seriously before there had to be some form of local lockdown.
"We're seeing it reflected through people coming together as families, family networks where everyone is getting infected from a family gathering or a social gathering and we're also seeing an increase in cases linked to workplaces."
Lady Anne Dodd says the late comic would have been "thrilled to bits" to help the Shakespeare project.
Read MoreFrom the Hereford Times:
The boy got into a car after being asked if he wanted a kitten, police say.
Read More
BBC Midlands Today
A student says the government's U-turn over A-level results has given her a "whole new set of problems".
Azaria Forbes
Azaria Forbes, from Oldbury, needed three A grades to study medicine but her results were initially downgraded, putting her dreams on hold.
The changes from the government now mean she has the grades but is facing a battle to get a place at university.
"My initial reaction to those grades was it doesn't change anything for me, I still can't get onto that course because it is now full."
Health Secretary Matt Hancock has said the government is "absolutely looking at" lifting the cap on the number of places to study medicine.
The number of students studying to be doctors is regulated because of the cost and for NHS workforce planning.
A one-minute silence has been held at Birmingham New Street today, external to honour three men killed in a train derailment in Aberdeenshire a week ago.
Image source, Network RailDriver Brett McCullough, 45, conductor Donald Dinnie, 58, and passenger Christopher Stuchbury, 62, died near Stonehaven. Six others were injured.
The train derailed after hitting a landslip following heavy rain.
Abdul Rahman Abubaker, 24, died in hospital after being shot in Birmingham in May 2018.
Read MoreThe Royal Air Force Museum Cosford has paid tribute to a World War II veteran, and one of its long-standing volunteers, who has died,
Desert Rat Les Cherrington, 101, from Shifnal, Shropshire, died on Saturday.
He was the only survivor from his tank when it was engaged by German forces in Tunisia during the Battle of the Mareth Line.
The museum said he was "well-known and loved by all at Cosford".
Image source, RAF Museum CosfordMr Cherrington had volunteered at the museum each Tuesday.
"He was a popular member of the team, cheerful, kind and modest, with a unique insight and an engaging manner," it added.
"He was generous with his time and always up for a chat.
"He will be deeply missed by those he worked with and we shall always be thankful for the inspiring stories he shared with us all."
Birmingham Live
The Birmingham Live website's headlines today include:
Allen Cook
BBC News
A young boy's been rescued from a river.
Image source, West Midlands Fire ServiceFire crews and paramedics were called to Dosthill Park, Tamworth,, external yesterday afternoon after getting reports of someone in the water.
After firefighters used a boat to rescue him, the boy was checked over and discharged at the scene, the ambulance service said.
