Local Democracy Reporting Service
David Lawrence

The response times of fire crews could be affected by construction traffic for the HS2 rail line, a fire chief is warning.

Image source, PA Media

A report written by the assistant chief fire officer for Warwickshire, Barnaby Briggs, says crews from Atherstone, Polesworth and Coleshill could all be affected due to potential congestion along the A5 leading to the M42.

He says the targeted response times from these fire stations may have to be looked at.

Depending on the anticipated severity of the effects, temporary accommodation may have to be considered for some crew, he adds.

The three men were held on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving.

The 49-year-old, from Wolverhampton, who was known by his nickname Lola, later died in hospital.

Birmingham Live

Some of the Birmingham Live headlines today include:

• The reality of Birmingham lockdown rules - family banned from seeing new baby, external
• Covid-19 infections rise in every part of Birmingham and Black Country, external
• Mayor Andy Street defends under-fire Covid test-and-trace service, external

Three hospital trusts in the West Midlands are set to receive funding to expand and upgrade accident and emergency facilities.

Image source, Google

The government has pledged an extra £150m of funding, external to help reduce overcrowding and improve infection control ahead of winter.

This is on top of the £300m previously announced for upgrades.

Royal Shrewsbury Hospital: £6.3m for removing an existing building and replacing it, to support same-day emergency care.

University Hospital Coventry: £3m for emergency department expansion.

Worcestershire Royal Hospital: £2.5m for releasing capacity for the emergency department expansion.

A group of performers from the West Midlands have hatched a plan to try to save the Christmas panto, despite coronavirus.

The Birmingham Stage Company says it'll stage drive-in performances at a number of places - with audience members watching the show from their vehicles and picking up the sound on their car radios.

Image source, Horrible Histories

The performance will be of Horrible Christmas, a pantomime inspired by the series of Horrible Histories children's books by Terry Deary.

The Car Park Panto show will visit locations including Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Cardiff.

Passers-by film the scene after a huge fire breaks out at the Granville Recycling Plant in Telford.

BBC Radio Shropshire

Whittington Castle in Shropshire has been awarded a £50,000 emergency grant to help secure its immediate future as a visitor attraction.

Volunteers at the community-run castle had feared they'd have to close permanently because of the pandemic.

Image source, Google

The money from the National Lottery Heritage Fund has allowed the attraction to reopen and to carry out improvements, including new toilets.

A woman whose sister took her own life is encouraging students to talk about mental health issues.

The centre will continue to be known as Intu Merry Hill until a rebrand next year.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

It looks like a public meeting to discuss the latest plans for the former Ironbridge power station site won't happen, because of coronavirus restrictions.

Harworth Group is asking tor permission to build about 1,000 homes there and other facilities and published revised proposals in August.

The Telford and Wrekin councillor for the area, Carolyn Healy, had wanted to give local residents the chance to debate them, before they go before the local authority's planning committee in November.

But she's been forced to concede she'll have to distribute a summary of the plans because of the limits on large gatherings.

BBC Radio Shropshire

Dozens of firefighters have been tackling a large fire a recycling plant this morning in Shropshire.

Image source, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service

Eight fire engines were called at 04:42 to the Granville Recycling Plant on Grange Lane, Redhill, near Telford, the fire service said. , external

Crews said residents living north of the M54 over Oakengates, Trench and Hadley should keep their windows and doors closed., external

BBC Weather

It will be a dry and settled day with some cloud but lots of sunny spells with highs of 20C (68F).

This was the scene earlier in Ashton under Hill in Worcestershire as taken by BBC Weather Watcher Morning Amble.

Image source, Weather Watcher/morning amble

Birmingham City sign striker Scott Hogan from neighbours Aston Villa for an undisclosed fee.

Roy Garmson, 33, is accused of stabbing Joseph, 31, at a house in Bartley Green, Birmingham.

Health chiefs describe scenes of guidance being ignored in a packed bar as "unprecedented".

An employment tribunal finds Jaguar Land Rover took an "insensitive stance" dealing with the case.

Some children with special needs were dropped at the wrong schools, Birmingham City Council said.

BBC Weather

The end of the week is forecast to be a bit cooler, with temperatures on Thursday and Friday up to around 19C (66F) instead of the 25C (77F) we were seeing earlier in the week.

But it should remain sunny and clear.

Image source, Chris L

At the weekend, just days before Birmingham introduced its own lockdown measures, the city faced the second highest rate of coronavirus infections in England, with only Bolton higher.

The latest figures from Public Health England show week-on-week, the number of cases have risen in Birmingham, although many other places in England have seen big rises themselves.

In the seven days up to 13 September, Birmingham had 952 new cases of Covid-19, up from 924. That meant a rate of 83.4 cases per 100,000 people (up from 80.9).

However, in Bolton, the rate stands at 204.1 per 100,000 people and 11 other places in England now officially have infection rates of over 100 per 100,000 people.

Solihull and Sandwell, the other two areas to have extra coronavirus restrictions imposed yesterday have also seen rises, week-on-week, as did Rugby and Wolverhampton.