On the last leg of his journey through north west England, Michael Portillo makes a clean sweep in Ashley, where, in Victorian times, the new middle classes set up home in suburban villas with multiple chimneys, swept by children.

In Macclesfield, Michael finds the end of the Silk Route and tries his hand at screen printing. After stoking the fire on the steam-powered Churnet Valley Railway, Michael alights at Froghall for Alton Towers, to trace the 19th-century origins of the modern theme park.

Premiership Wasps agree to sign prop Pieter Scholtz from Guinness PRO14 side Scarlets at the end of the season.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A coach company has criticised Birmingham City Council, after failing to qualify for the heavy-duty vehicles Clean Air Zone fund.

Coaches and lorries face a daily £50 charge for driving into Birmingham city centre.

Ian Powell, director of Smethwick-based Nash's Coaches, said the company purchased two compliant coaches in 2019 and 2020 at a cost of more than £300,000.

The firm had also planned to retro-fit two non-compliant coaches and Mr Powell said he thought the company would be eligible for £60,000 of grants.

Image source, Ian Powell

"All they told me was we don’t qualify as we are outside the CAZ. It’s a load of rot. They said ‘that’s it – you are not getting nowt’. It’s just wrong," Mr Powell said.

“There are companies [inside the zone] that will be getting it and we should have it. It’s diabolical to be honest.”

A Birmingham City Council spokesperson said: "The £10m Clean Air Zone Heavy Duty Vehicle Fund is available to SMEs in the West Midlands with non-compliant HGVs and coaches in their fleets.

"As this is a grant scheme eligibility criteria and terms and conditions do apply, external.

"But we will do everything we can to offer advice and support to businesses on this journey towards a clean air city."

Every train ride begins with a whistle and Michael Portillo's new railway journey is no exception, blasting off from Birmingham's jewellery quarter to the sound of the Acme whistle, manufactured there since 1884.

A visit to the city's town hall reveals a magnificent organ and the location for a celebrated music festival. Travelling south to Kidderminster, Michael reports for duty at the post office, where he sorts the letters and discovers more about the great postal innovator Sir Rowland Hill, before heading out to deliver the Royal Mail.

19th-century quack doctors and their bogus remedies are exposed in Worcester, where Michael discovers the origins of the British Medical Association.

Michael Portillo heads for the sharp end of the Victorian industrial revolution at a needle manufactory in Redditch.

The Freemasons of Cheltenham invite Michael into their lodge to share the secrets of their society. In Gloucester, he learns how to make Gloucester cheese.

Continuing on to Highnam, Michael is glad to discover the beautiful Victorian Gothic church of Thomas Parry and to join the Gloucester Choral Society in a rendition of Jerusalem composed by Thomas's son Hubert.

There were dog poo bags hanging on trees and bins were overflowing, Mason's family says.

The chief executive of the Sandwell and West Birmingham NHS Trust has stepped down after being absent from the role for almost a year.

Image source, SWBH

The trust said Toby Lewis had been affected by ill health and was last in work in July 2020.

It has now been revealed that he will not return to work and will instead take up a role at the Kings Fund.

Richard Beeken will remain the trust's interim chief executive and a recruitment process will begin soon.

“We wish Toby well for the future and thank him for his service to our trust, our colleagues and the communities of Sandwell and West Birmingham,” a SWBH spokesperson said.

Free lateral flow tests are to be handed out in Alum Rock over the next two weeks, Birmingham City Council says.

Residents are being urged to to take one from officials when they visit homes in the area.

Neve, seven, made the emergency call while her five-year-old brother looked after their mother.

Neve and Billy remembered important details like the family's address and that their mother also had allergies.

Police have released images of a man they suspect of causing upwards of £20,000 worth of damage to cash machines in Coventry.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Officers said the man is believed to have vandalised cash machines in the city up to 50 times by inserting glue into the card reader.

West Midlands Police said it was "mindless damage which is causing lots of hassle for staff and customers" and appealed for anyone with information to get in touch.

We're going to start off with some sunshine this morning with clear conditions, but as we make our way through the afternoon we'll start to see some cloud build up.

Highs of up to 24C (75F) in the sun and as the cloud moves in it will start to feel a bit humid with a muggy night expected.

Image source, Peter Steggles/ BBC Weather Watchers

Street racing has been reported on the A449 in Coven Heath, near Wolverhampton, on two weekends.

The 26-year-old man was found by a relative at his home in Olton, Solihull, on Monday.

A video online shows teenagers shouting highly offensive terms at a family in a Wolverhampton park.

A man has been arrested after police carried out a drugs warrant at a property in Staffordshire.

On 1 June, police officers carried out the operation in Westover Drive, Stone.

A large amount of cannabis was found within the property, Staffordshire Police said, as well as equipment to cultivate of cannabis found in the roof.

A 31-year-old man from Stone was later arrested on suspicion of producing a controlled drug of Class B – cannabis, and has since been released under investigation.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

Det Con Danielle Brannan said: “We will always look to shut down drugs operations which blight the lives of the communities we serve and will continue to pro-actively seek to bring the perpetrators to justice.”

PC Mary Ellen Bettley-Smith says she was trying to protect herself and her murder-accused colleague.

It is only legal to ride e-scooters on private land in the West Midlands, police have said.

Patrols will be out this month with the aim of preventing the scooters being used on public roads or pavements.

Image source, Getty Images

People caught riding them illegally could have their e-scooter seized, get six penalty points on their driving licence and a fine of £300.

There are some legal trials of e-scooters in Birmingham, Coventry and Sandwell, but only in places where people can ride bicycles such as roads and cycle lanes and they cannot be ridden on pavements.

Since the start of the month, the force has seized 10 scooters.

A charity has extended its scheme to accept donations at drive-through stations across Coventry and Warwickshire.

Myton Hospice, in Warwickshire, said a trial of donation stations had proved "such a roaring success" it had decided to extend opening hours at three of its sites.

The scheme allows people to drop off donations without visiting shops.

People will be able to donate goods at the Coventry, Rugby and Warwick sites on dates until the end of August.

Molly, a 17-month-old black Labrador, was chasing her ball down a bank but then ran into a branch.