The Wildlife Trusts says it wants 30% of UK land and sea to be set aside for nature by 2030.

Ateeq Rafiq died after getting his head stuck under a motorised footrest while searching for keys.

BBC local radio cricket commentators give their thoughts on how the season might pan out for their county.

Matthew Downs admitted shouting at the teenager, mocking him and using unnecessary force.

With the County Championship making an eagerly anticipated return on Thursday, here's a look at who and what to watch out for.

West Midlands Police has released an image of a man officers like to speak to in connection with an assault on a delivery driver that left her with a fractured elbow.

Image source, West Midlands Police

The woman, in her 60s, was punched in the face after a man tried to grab her keys on Frodesley Road in Sheldon, Birmingham, on 13 March, police said.

She was then pushed to the ground by the assailant who left empty handed.

Police said she was now recovering at home but has appealed for any witnesses to come forward.

Michele Paduano
Health correspondent, BBC Midlands Today

The Dudley Hospitals Group NHS Trust has appeared in court after it was charged over the deaths of two patients in a case brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

Natalie Billingham, 33, died from a rare form of sepsis within a short time of arriving at Russells Hall Hospital in 2018. Kaysie-Jane Robinson, 14, referred to in court by her former surname Bland, also died with sepsis in 2018.

Image source, Family

The CQC watchdog alleges they were exposed to "significant risk of avoidable harm" at the hospital before their deaths.

The hearing today at Dudley Magistrates' Court was adjourned until 2 July, when the trust is due to enter a plea on alleged breaches under the Health and Social Care Act.

Police say post-mortem tests have so far proved inconclusive after the death in Birmingham.

The government gives the festival £3.5m for "enhanced Covid-19 safety and hygiene methods".

Donations of blood plasma in England for use in the manufacture of "lifesaving" medicines are to begin after the lifting of a ban lasting more than two decades.

Image source, PA Media

For an initial three months from Wednesday, donations will be taken at 14 centres across the country, including in Birmingham, Coventry and Wolverhampton.

These will be used to make antibody-based medicines called immunoglobulins for people with rare immune diseases.

It comes after the government lifted a ban in February which was imposed on UK donors in 1998 amid concerns about the spread of a human variant of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), known as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD).

NHS Blood and Transplant said about 17,000 people needed immunoglobin therapy in 2018/19 for a range of diseases and genetic disorders.

Donations will be taken at repurposed former convalescent centres originally created for coronavirus research.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Tom Dare

More than 2,000 people have signed a petition calling for increased security and better lighting at a park in Selly Oak, Birmingham.

Image source, Kristina Richards-McDonnell

Selly Oak Park is often used by medical staff walking to work at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and since nurse Kristina Richards-McDonnell started the petition, she said she had been inundated with messages from people who felt unsafe using it.

"In the last month or so there’s been a lot of crime," she said. "A lot of bike snatches, handbag snatches, mobile phones being taken" but also reports of serious sexual offences.

“We’re simply asking for cameras and lights, just something that would make us feel a little bit safer," Ms Richards-McDonnell said. "And it’s not a huge expense, I wouldn’t have thought – it’s just a case of putting people’s safety before cost."

The petition will be submitted to Birmingham City Council, which operates the park.

A spokesperson for the local authority said: “Any crime in our parks is of utmost concern and we will support the police to tackle offending on any of our open spaces. We await the submission of the petition and will be in a position to offer a detailed response once it is received.”

A man and a woman from London have been arrested after vulnerable people in Warwickshire lost thousands of pounds in a telephone fraud.

Image source, Getty Images

Warwickshire Police said a woman from Rugby had been conned out of £20,000 in February by fraudsters claiming to be calling from her bank.

The suspects, both aged 19, have since been released under investigation after being arrested on suspicion of fraud and money laundering, police said.

“We continue to investigate these despicable crimes where criminals often prey on the elderly and vulnerable," Det Con Stuart Clasper said.

Coventry Live

Here are some of the stories on the Coventry Live website:

• Homes approved on former Coventry sports site, external
• Mystery EuroMillions winner from Coventry has just one month left to claim £1m prize, external
• Warning over A444 lane closure close to Ricoh Arena, external

Mark Robinson, the former England women's coach, on returning to men's county cricket with Warwickshire.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans to demolish a Shrewsbury shopping centre and redevelop the area have been delayed after the planning application was "withdrawn on a technical point".

Shropshire councillors were supposed to vote on the application to knock down the former Riverside Medical Practice on Tuesday.

But members were told they will be resubmitted at a later date, with the next planning meeting scheduled for 8 June, after the council elections.

The council said in January last year it was hoped a phased demolition would “begin at the end of 2020” and the demolition of the former medical practice was supposed to be the first stage of the redevelopment.

The Riverside shopping centre, Raven Meadows multi-storey car park and the bus station are also set to be knocked down and Smithfield Road would be moved further away from the river.

The plan involves replacing the Riverside centre with new office buildings, a hotel and apartments.

Two police officers required hospital treatment after a kidnap suspect attacked them while in custody, West Midlands Police said.

Image source, Google

Officers responded to reports of disorder in Kings Norton, Birmingham, on Tuesday night and arrested a man on suspicion of kidnap at the rail station.

Police said the man had gone on to kick and bite officers at the scene before attacking another officer, who suffered a suspected broken nose and cheekbone, when he was taken into custody.

Scouts in Telford have met face-to-face for the first time in four months by joining a community litter pick.

More than 30 youngsters from 2nd Wombridge Scout group have been out on the streets collecting bags of rubbish.

Scout leader Antony Steventon said: "Zoom has been great to keep the interaction going, but this is what the youngsters really love to do - be together, outdoors and it's a valuable much-needed litter pick that will help tidy up our neighbourhood."

According to Keep Britain Tidy, it costs authorities £700m a year to keep streets clean.

More and more people are picking up their bin bags and grabbers and going litter picking after getting fed up of seeing increasing piles of rubbish.

The Wildlife Trusts coalition has revealed 10 locations in England and Wales they are hoping bring back nature.

Sites in Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire are included in the £8m project.

The trusts have begun a campaign, backed by Sir David Attenborough, to drive the recovery of nature across 30% of land by 2030.

Image source, Getty Images

In Shropshire, 12 acres of unsprayed fields around the Stiperstones ridge (pictured), above Tankerville, will be restored to allow harebells, yellow mountain pansies, stonechats and skylarks to thrive.

Meanwhile in Herefordshire, £200,000 will be spent restoring the 14-acre Ail Meadow, increasing wildflowers to boost numbers of the wood white butterfly, providing a home for species such as bog pimpernel.

Ninety-five acres of arable fields will be restored back to heathland in Worcestershire to connect four surrounding nature reserves and provide home to wildlife, including the hornet robberfly and minotaur bee.

"Just protecting the nature we have left is not enough; we need to put nature into recovery and to do so at scale and with urgency," Wildlife Trusts chief executive Craig Bennett said.

"We need to transform nature-poor areas into new nature-rich places - and change the way we think about land, looking for opportunities to help nature outside traditional nature reserves."

Today will begin dry and bright but it will feel cold. The cloud will build through the afternoon and it will turn overcast, but should remain dry. Gentle winds. Highs of 4C to 7C (39F to 45F).

This evening and tonight will be largely cloudy, but there should be a few clear spells. It will continue to stay dry. Winds will be lighter and it will not be as cold as the past couple of nights. Lows of 1C to 4C (34F to 39F).

Welcome to our live service for Wednesday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

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