A Normandy veteran from Wellington in Shropshire who later became a peace campaigner and wrote a series of books has died at the age of 97.

George Evans taught geography for 40 years and helped liberate the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

Mr Evans was involved in securing a patch of land in Wellington to be used as a "peace garden" and was well known for his love of the Wrekin, which he used to climb regularly.

A fish pass has been created on the River Severn near Worcester, to help fish travel up stream more easily.

The 100m bypass will allow them to swim up a gradually around the weir at Bevere and help breeds such as the endangered twaite shad.

Image source, Skynique Film Company

The work was done by a partnership made up of the Canal and River Trust, Severn Rivers Trust, Environment Agency and Natural England.

They said salmon and eel would also benefit from the channel and there are plans to build three others, with money from the national lottery and the European Union.

Image source, Skynique Film Company

A board explaining Clive of India's imperial past will be installed by his statue in Shrewsbury.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A trail of lights is going to be created through Coventry, leading through the city to the railway station.

The city council said it would pass through Greyfriars Green and Warwick Row and be ready in time for Christmas.

Image source, Coventry City Council

Work is also under way to improve the lighting around the city centre, to make it look more attractive and make walking around safer.

It should be complete by December.

Image source, Coventry City Council

Shropshire Star

Here are three stories from the Shropshire Star today:

• Couple in race against time to beat wedding rules, external
• Anger as Bridgnorth Castle scarecrow used as a punchbag, external
• Pedestrian seriously injured after being hit by lorry, external

New figures from the Department for Transport (DfT) have shown England and Wales' most overcrowded trains in autumn 2019.

Among them is the 5:50 Wolverhampton to London Euston (West Midlands Trains) which was observed to be at 171% capacity.

In Birmingham, 16,800 passengers, just over 16%, would stand during the morning and evening peak.

Only London passengers had a worse experience.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A tower block in Telford is going to be demolished and a six-storey care home will be built in its place.

The Wrekin Housing Trust has got permission for 81 flats with community facilities on the site of Apley Court in Dothill.

Image source, Google

The housing trust said the building would be staffed 24 hours a day and include lounges, a cafe, hairdressers, a laundrette and buggy storage.

Plans for Moseley Station have been approved by Birmingham City Council.

It is one of three new stations for the Camp Hill line and the last to get planning permission.

The Camp Hill line has only been used by freight and through services since 1941, but the three stations - Moseley, Kings Heath (artist's impression below) and Hazelwell - will see the return of passenger services.

Image source, WEST MIDLANDS RAIL EXECUTIVE

It is hoped the line will open in time for the city hosting the Commonwealth Games in 2022.

The new Moseley Station is expected to include platforms with a canopy, stairs and lifts, a forecourt drop-off/pick up area, covered cycle storage, lighting and CCTV.

Mayor of the West Midlands Andy Street said the community was "overwhelmingly supportive" of reopening the line and concerns about the traffic light junction had been listened to.

A handful of people had close contact with a man hit by a car who has tested positive for Covid-19.

BBC Weather Watchers

The BBC Weather Watchers have been reporting everything today.

We've had sunshine in Birmingham and rain in Rushbury.

Image source, Dave Bayley

Image source, Peter Steggles

And we've even had sleet reported in Royal Leamington Spa and hail in Evesham.

Image source, Weather Woman

Image source, Tiger

Rochdale sign Solihull Moors striker Jake Beesley for an undisclosed fee on a three-year contract.

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

An American Football coach from Sandbach believes the coronavirus pandemic has "been really positive and it's made me think outside of the box".

Phoebe Schecter used to work with the Buffalo Bills and is one of only three women to become a coach with a professional men's team in the US.

Image source, Getty Images

Ms Schechter, who is now back working in the UK, said the biggest problem was motivating British players, who don't have any fixtures until 2021.

Macauley Welby, 22, of no fixed address, was arrested in Mansfield on Wednesday, police say.

Two police officers have been nominated for a bravery award after one was confronted by a gunman in a Walsall storm drain.

Image source, West Midlands Police Federation

West Midlands PC Paul Newman was attacked by Calvert Batchelor after he was pulled over in July 2019 when officers noticed his car was missing a number plate. He said he feared he would be drowned when he followed Batchelor into the confined storm drain.

His colleague PC Holly Necchi came to his rescue, despite knowing she was putting her life at risk, West Midlands Police Federation said, and she is credited with saving PC Newman's life.

A total of 94 officers from across the country have been nominated for the awards, and the ceremony has had to be pushed back to July 2021 due to coronavirus.

Coventry Live

Here are three of the stories from the Coventry Live website today:

• Mystery over new Aldi store planned, external
• NHS worker tells of nerves and sense of betrayal, external
• Boy, 6, attacked by teens in park, external

Data for autumn 2019, before coronavirus restrictions, saw one in six rush hour passengers standing.

PA Media

The UK's elderly population has reached a record high - the number of adults aged 100 rose by more than 10% in the space of a year, figures from the Office of national Statistics show.

There were 13,330 centenarians in 2019 - a 5.2% rise from 2018.

Overall life expectancy in England for men was 79.8 years and for women was 83.4 years, a rise of 2.8 months from 2014-16 for both.

The West Midlands region, however, had the largest life expectancy gap between men and women, with a difference of 46.1 months.

Danny Shaw
BBC Home Affairs Correspondent

The number of hate crimes at football matches in England and Wales has more than doubled in two years, with Birmingham City fans making up the second highest proportions of arrests.

Image source, Rex Features

Home Office figures show there were 287 reported incidents of hate crime last season, up from 193 in 2018-19 and 131 the season before that.

Three-quarters of incidents (214) were classed as “race hate” - twice as many as in 2017-18 and there were 35 arrests for “racist and indecent” chanting - the highest number for seven years.

The overall number of football-related arrests fell by 21% during a season in which fans weren’t permitted to attend matches after lockdown.

Only Leeds United had more fans arrested than Birmingham City, with fans of Bolton Wanderers, Aston Villa and West Ham United also topping the list.

Riyah Collins
BBC News

Three men have been arrested after a police helicopter was deployed in a chase through Solihull.

Warwickshire Police said officers pursued a vehicle suspected of being involved in vehicle crime as it headed towards Warwick at about 22:15 on Wednesday, but it failed to stop.

The car - a Saab - later collided with a police car on the A3400 in Balsall Common and officers arrested a 19-year-old man from Leicestershire, a 24-year-old man from Wigan and a 38-year-old man from Berkshire.

No-one was injured, police said. A number of items including bolt croppers, a hammer, a screwdriver and two drills were recovered by officers.

The men remain in custody on suspicion of dangerous driving, failing to stop, and going equipped for stealing.

Stoke-on-Trent has been given an extra £820,000 by the government to support rough sleepers through the coronavirus pandemic.

The city council has been supporting 290 people and has moved 123 into long-term accommodation.

Image source, Getty Images

Many have been staying in hotels, but others have been staying in small apartments installed at a Hanley warehouse.

The council leader, Abi Brown, said finding funding for these projects had been a "big concern" for her.