Coventry Live

From Coventry Live today:

• Ellie Wain sentenced to life over murder of boyfriend Kieran Brown, external
• Charity speaks out following chaotic sleigh tour where Santa pulled off his beard and fell ill, external
• Woman seriously injured after car overturns, external

Truckers stranded in Kent for a second night talk of their fears of not getting home for Christmas.

A study at the University of Birmingham has found that lateral flow testing of its students only picked up 3% of positive cases, potentially allowing those carrying Covid to travel across the country.

Image source, Reuters

Professor Jon Deeks of the Institute of Applied Health Research at the university said "we probably found two students and missed 60 with this test because of its poor performance".

Asked what would happen if the tests were used in schools, he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "Well, we'll be allowing teachers and students to stay in school who had Covid; we'd be missing people who've got Covid.

"It might possibly be better in schools but the data are emerging that this test isn't working well anywhere in asymptomatic people."

The NHS has previously defended the tests' use, with Dr Susan Hopkins, chief medical adviser to NHS Test and Trace, saying the lateral flow tests could identify many cases of infection in people without symptoms.

A police officer said he was called to "one of the most bizarre jobs" following reports of a man walking another by a lead.

The caller believed there was a traffic risk to a twit or two.

But feathers had been unnecessarily ruffled and it was more a case of "twit twoo", thanks to this owl that found the perfect perch...

Image source, West Midlands Police

What the caller had in fact seen in Birmingham city centre was two men taking a pet for a stroll in the early hours of Monday.

PC Oscar Finney, who was on patrol at the time, said: "The bird was tethered by a piece of rope and perched on one of their shoulders - so from a distance it appeared that one man had a lead around his neck."

It was soon atop the officer's head though.

“One of the more bizarre jobs I’ve attended. I was there for just a few minutes and, after speaking to the men, continued on my patrols."

The force confirms it shared the info in a Tweet. It's yet to be spotted on Face-beak.

Jewellery was stolen from a shop on Monday during a robbery involving five armed men.

The shop on Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, was targeted at about 15:30

There were no reported injuries, said Warwickshire Police.

Officers are asking for anyone with information to come forward.

Birmingham Live

From Birmingham Live today:

• Bake Off star Ali Imdad racially abused on bus in Birmingham, external
• Cyclist seriously hurt in crash as police shut busy section of city centre route, external
• Wider pavements replace disappearing car park spaces in greener city centre, external

A cyclist was taken to hospital with serious head injuries after his bike collided with a car in Birmingham city centre.

It happened in the early hours on Old Snow Hill near St Chad's Queensway.

The driver stopped at the scene and is helping police with their inquiries.

BBC News

A photograph of a rainbow taken by Matthew Taylor in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, has been showcased as one of the best of 2020 by BBC England.

Image source, Matthew Taylor

This week it is featuring in a special Best of 2020 gallery, showing the most popular images from across the year, based on social media engagement.

Upload your images here. For inspiration, view some top tips from three of England's Big Picture photographers.

Cases of coronavirus in Birmingham are increasing by about 20 to 25% every seven days, says the city's director of public health.

Image source, PA Media

People travelling from tier-four areas to the West Midlands are being asked to "assume" they have the new coronavirus variant and self-isolate.

Dr Justin Varney said he was watching the figures "very carefully" for signs of the new variant of the virus that causes figures to "rise very rapidly - doubling their numbers every four to seven days".

He said: "It's that rapid increase that's the first sign that the variant is here.

"If we continue to climb, and if we start to climb any faster then we will see tighter restrictions, not just here but other parts of the country.

"This new variant spreads faster to more people - if we do not act quickly, if we do not act responsibly, the NHS will buckle in January and more people will die that could have not."

A crash has closed a road in the Shropshire town of Whitchurch.

Sedgeford is likely to remain closed throughout the morning, the fire service says.

Tracy Felstead is among Post Office workers fighting convictions linked to a faulty computer system.

Heavy rain could cause travel disruption in parts of Herefordshire, the Met Office is warning.

Image source, Met Office

A yellow warning for rain has been issued from 06:00 on Wednesday until 06:00 on Thursday.

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

It will be a cloudy day with patchy rain and highs of 9°C (48°F).

An old mill in Shrewsbury is set to open to tenants from autumn 2021 after a major restoration project.

Image source, Historic England

Ditherington Flax Mill, built in 1797, was the world's first iron-framed building and described by Historic England as one of the most important historic buildings in the world.

The Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings have been part of the £28.4m project to restore it and said, despite the impact of Covid-19, the work had, external "progressed well".

Autumn 2021 is when the building is set to open to commercial tenants with a new visitor experience due to open in spring 2022.

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Welcome to the start of our live service for Tuesday.

We’ll be bringing you all the latest updates for the West Midlands.

You can let us know about stories in your area via email, Twitter, external and Facebook., external

Business has boomed during the coronavirus pandemic, an industry body says.

Wolves manager Nuno Espirito Santo says referee Lee Mason "is just not good enough" and "worsens the flow of the game".

Areas of England outside the South East say the new variant of Covid-19 is likely to be circulating.

Unison says University Hospital Birmingham should be prioritising front-line staff for vaccinations.

Ashley Barnes scores his first goal in more than a year as Burnley beat Wolves to move clear of the Premier League relegation zone.