A man has suffered life-threatening injuries after the car he was driving left the A50 in Staffordshire and hit a tree.

Officers were called to the scene at the junction with the A552 in Uttoxeter at about 18:50 on Sunday, police said.

The driver, in his 20s, suffered significant spinal, liver and kidney injuries and was taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital.

Staffordshire Police is appealing for anyone with information to get in touch.

A teenager has been stabbed twice in the back in a park.

Image source, Google

The 16-year-old boy was found injured in Canterbury Park, Burton-upon-Trent, on Saturday evening, Staffordshire Police said., external

Officers said the teenager was taken to hospital and discharged the same evening.

BBC Radio Stoke

Work on a section of the M6 to turn it into a smart motorway is set to finish six months early, Highways England said.

Image source, Google

The £232.3m scheme started in March 2018 on the stretch between J13, Stafford, and J15, Stoke-on-Trent. , external

Highways England said, external a contraflow system had allowed teams to work faster and the scheme should end in September 2021 instead of the following March.

An arson attack at an athletics stadium has caused damage put at thousands of pounds.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

The fire was started on Thursday night at Northwood Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Police said. , external

The stadium has been repeatedly targeted by vandals over lockdown.

The City of Stoke Athletic Club had to launch an online appeal in July to pay for repairs.

A 16-year-old boy has been charged with criminal damage after several cars had tyres slashed at a hospital car park.

One of the cars belonged to a nurse, who had just finished a 12-hour shift at Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham.

Image source, GETTY IMAGES

The force said officers were called to the hospital in the early hours of Sunday to reports of two men trying car door handles.

The boy from Weoley Castle, was also charged with vehicle interference and going equipped to steal and was bailed to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court on 16 November, police added.

West Midlands Police says its inquiries are continuing in a bid to identify a second suspect it believes was involved.

BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester

An "absolute nightmare" is how the new lockdown in England has been described by a mental health charity.

Image source, Getty Images

Sally Dance from Evesham and District Mental Health Support Services said it had seen a huge increased in demand for help since March.

"It has been very difficult over the last few months anyway and this is just more fuel on the fire," she said.

The charity said face-to-face support would be shut down, but it would have a telephone helpline available.

Research last month said the first lockdown had a major impact on the UK's mental health, including increased rates of suicidal thoughts.

Worcester News

A few of the headlines from the Worcester News:

• City's infection rate rises again in latest coronavirus figures, external
• Plans revealed for new cycle routes in Worcester, external
• Jail for Worcester man who killed mum-of-two in crash, external

A heritage railway will close during the new lockdown in England and has promised passengers a refund on pre-booked tickets if they can't rearrange.

Image source, Ryan Green

The Severn Valley Railway (SVR) previously lost about £500,000 a month during the coronavirus shutdown from March until it reopened in August.

SVR, which operates services between Kidderminster in Worcestershire and Bridgnorth in Shropshire, said the line would shut on Thursday along with its pubs, cafes and shops.

General manager Helen Smith said customers with tickets for November should not try and call them, but wait to be contacted.

"They will hear directly from us in the coming days, and we’ll offer them an alternative booking in December or if we can’t accommodate them, a refund," she said.

News of lockdown 2.0, as it's been called, comes as most parts of the West Midlands saw yet another increase in coronavirus cases in the latest figures.

Twenty four out of 30 local authorities in the region saw an increase in their rates of new infections for the seven days up to 29 October.

Those in Staffordshire were the worst affected - South Staffordshire, Newcastle-under-Lyme, Tamworth, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire Moorlands all saw more than 300 new cases per 100,000 population.

South Staffordshire had a rate of 443.8, up from 289.9 in just a week. At the end of August it stood at just 3.6.

Over the seven days up to 29 October, Solihull and Coventry (both in tier two) saw small drops in the number of cases compared with the previous week, along with Worcester, Stratford-upon-Avon, the Malvern Hills and Herefordshire.

How many cases are in your area.

Coventry Cathedral will remain closed today after a "number of staff" were instructed to self-isolate from Sunday evening, it said.

It is planned for it to reopen to the public on Tuesday after a thorough clean, it added.

It will open from 11:00 until 15:00 for the rest of the week, for individual prayer, and into the coming month-long lockdown apart from Sunday it said.

Services will once again be delivered online.

The cathedral's canon pastor Kathryn Fleming tweeted that she has tested positive for Covid-19, thanking the public for prayers.

Shropshire Star

The Shropshire Star is covering these stories today:

• Weary backing for PM’s ‘inevitable’ decision on nationwide lockdown, external
• Late night shopping launched in Bridgnorth before lockdown, external
• Bridgnorth school closes to year group after students test positive for Covid-19, external

A man arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after the death of a pedestrian has been released under investigation.

Image source, Google

Police were called to the scene in Duddeston Manor Road, Nechells, on Saturday just after 18:00.

A 54-year-old man suffered serious injuries after being hit by a car and died at the scene.

The driver, a 37-year-old man, stopped and was arrested at the scene.

West Midlands Police is appealing for any witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to contact officers.

A cyclist has been seriously hurt in a collision with a car in Coventry.

The crash happened at the junction of Foleshill Road and Arbury Avenue at around 12:25, the ambulance service said. , external

It added the man on the bicycle showed signs of improvement when treated at the scene, but was still in a serious condition when taken to hospital.

BBC Weather Watchers

After a pretty grey weekend, we've had some brilliant blue skies around across the West Midlands from the look of these photos from our local BBC Weather Watchers.

These are from users Shaun in Stafford, Grass Surfer in Hillmorton, Warwickshire and Ray in Oakengates, Shropshire:

Image source, Shaun

Image source, Grass Surfer

Image source, Ray

Armed police responded to reports of disorder and a man being hit by a car in Chesterton on Saturday.

Birmingham Live

Some of the Birmingham Live headlines today include:

• Floral tribute laid at scene where pedestrian killed in tragic Nechells crash, external
• Wife shops husband to police after he arrives to collect her over drink-drive limit, external
• Thieves feast on huge McDonald's order after targeting OAP at husband's grave, external

BBC Radio Shropshire

The government is being urged to produce the scientific evidence behind the ban on communal worship as part of the new lockdown rules.

The Bishop of Shrewsbury, the Right Reverend Mark Davies,said he was astonished to find out the new rules on places of worship., external

Image source, Getty Images

England's four-week lockdown will see most religious services banned, including weddings, from Thursday.

Funerals will still be allowed, with a maximum of 30 attending, and places of worship will still be able to remain open for individual prayer and to carry out essential services such as food banks.

But, like the lockdown earlier in the year, communal services will have to go online as a way to stop people mixing.

Bishop Davies said no evidence had been offered for the move and he believed public worship should be seen as a solution and not a problem.

The girls, one as young as four, were taken to Birmingham Children's Hospital after the overnight fire.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Stoke-on-Trent Live is covering these stories today:

• Man taken to hospital after car hits tree forcing A50 to be shut for hours, external
• School tells year group to stay at home after 'significant number of students' catch Covid-19, external
• Specsavers apologises to woman who wet herself when staff wouldn't let her use loo, external

BBC Radio Shropshire

A gym owner says he is facing losing at least another £20,000 through the next national lockdown in England.

Image source, Reuters

Dave Courteen manages The Shrewsbury Club in Shropshire and says it lost £100,000 through the five months of the first lockdown this year.

Gyms will close under the strict measures from Thursday which will last until at least 2 December.

Mr Courteen says it is "incredibly frustrating" and claims gyms in England have seen low rates of Covid-19 transmission and cases since they reopened.

"I think gyms need to be seen as part of the solution to Covid-19, not part of the problem," he said.

"We are here to help people to exercise, that helps them to stay fit, to build their immunity and we shouldn't underplay the importance of mental health."