A union has called into question how seriously managers take the safety of employees and the public.

Aston Villa manager Dean Smith is charged by the Football Association after his sending off during Wednesday's defeat by Manchester City.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Mark Cardwell

Gardens in part of Birmingham have been flooded "like a river" in the wake of Storm Christoph, according to residents.

Image source, Gurcharn Kaur

They claim the issue in Hall Green has worsened since work began on a development of new homes on the site of the former Hall Green greyhound stadium.

Gurcharn Kaur lives on Brooklands Road and said she and her neighbours have seen flooding get worse in the past couple of years.

The 64-year-old said: "It is like a river.

“It was not like this before the development work started. We would have complained about it years ago. We have been here 20-odd years and it was fine."

Developers Vistry Partnerships has denied flooding has been caused by construction work and Birmingham City Council is currently investigating the problem.

Five cars have been stolen amid 13 burglaries in Wolverhampton, with police trying to establish whether they are linked.

The break-ins happened around the Bushbury and Wednesfield areas between 3 and 18 January.

West Midlands Police said, external the five cars, including an Audi and a Land Rover Discovery, were taken after car keys were stolen from homes.

Police were alerted to the round trip from Exeter to Coventry after the car was in a crash.

The 21-year-old was arrested at an address in Birmingham, West Midlands Police says.

That's it for today's live coverage of the flooding in the north-west of England.

To read more on our latest stories click the links below:

• River Mersey 'centimetres' from breaching defences
• Sinkhole appears causing homes to collapse
• Pensioners rescued from flooded retirement village
• From lockdown river haven to major evacuations

Your local radio stations BBC Radio Manchester 95.1FM and BBC Radio Merseyside 95.8FM will be on air throughout the evening, bringing you all of the latest information and news updates.

Thanks again for joining us and stay safe.

Travel on trains can now resume between Birmingham and Manchester via Stoke-on-Trent and Macclesfield after flood water subsided.The advice is to check your journey before you travel as delays are expected.

Drone footage shows flooding caused by Storm Christoph along the River Mersey.

A man who drove nearly 100 miles from Bristol to Wolverhampton for "a day out" has been fined, police say.

The motorist was issued with a fixed penalty notice after officers approached him in the city.

Birmingham Live

Birmingham Live is covering these stories:

• Birmingham mosque turned into coronavirus vaccine centre, external
• Birmingham paedophile jailed for preying on 13-year-old girl, external
• Audi and Land Rover Discovery stolen in spate of Wolverhampton burglaries, external

Two men have had their cars stolen at knifepoint after being lured to a street by a fake offer to trade mobile phones, police said.

A false Facebook account had been used to contact them and get them to Lawrence Avenue, Heath Town, Wolverhampton, the West Midlands Police force reported., external

A 31-year-old man had his Toyota Aygo taken on Monday and a 20-year-old man was assaulted and had his Fiesta stolen on Tuesday.

A 17-year-old boy has been arrested on suspicion of robbery offences and is in custody, officers say.

BBC Midlands Today

People in Shropshire are being told Covid rules will let them leave their homes in an emergency such as flooding.

Image source, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service

Firefighters in the county were called to more than 70 incidents on Wednesday night, with most of them flooding-related.

Some people have questioned whether they are allowed to leave their home during lockdown.

But Russ Hales, from Shropshire Fire and Rescue service, said the guidelines allowed it.

"If it is a threat to life then that out weighs the self-isolation as per government guidance," he said.

There looks to be a changing picture this afternoon.

Earlier we reported the Environment Agency (EA) was expecting river levels to peak later on Thursday.

But as water from this week's heavy rain makes its way slowly through the rivers of the West Midlands, that forecast is changing.

The EA said that while in some cases it expected river levels to start falling on Thursday afternoon, in others, peaks could come on Friday or even Saturday.

Image source, J at Severn Ridge

The EA has more than 40 flood warnings across the region, external. Worcestershire is subject to most, with 12 in place so far.

There are also 10 in Staffordshire, nine in Herefordshire, eight in Shropshire and, with a new county to be implicated, three in Warwickshire.

Birmingham City agree a loan deal until the end of the season for West Brom midfielder Rekeem Harper.

There have been concerns about scepticism towards the vaccine in some Muslim communities.

Residents at a retirement village have been stranded by flooding caused by Storm Christoph.

Image source, Sam Naylor

Weaver Court in Northwich has been surrounded by water and is currently without power and water.

Northwich councillor Sam Naylor said the 49 residents and staff at the village were "safe and in good spirits".

People heading to get their Covid vaccination at a hospital are being warned one of its entry roads has flooded.

Image source, The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital

It's the route by the entrance to the vaccination hub at The Robert Jones and Agnes Hunt Orthopaedic Hospital, in Gobowen, Shropshire, that's underwater.

The NHS trust said, external people coming for their jab should try to access the hospital from the Whittington direction instead.

Thousands of homes in Manchester narrowly escape flooding from heavy rain brought by Storm Christoph.

Emmanuel Adeseko says more must be done to urge African Caribbean communities to get Covid jabs.