The three-year-old pooch, named Bob, has been in the care of the RSPCA for more than two years.

The Birmingham International Dance Festival has begun.

There are 18 dance films which are all being shown online, with most of the screenings free to watch.

Performers from the West Midlands will be joined by dance groups from around the world in the festival.

Extra testing has been set up after 31 people with links to two schools and a college tested positive for coronavirus in Staffordshire.

Health chiefs said 19 of those tested positive for the so-called Indian variant, now named Delta variant by the World Health Organization.

The 31 people have links to Westwood College, St Edward's Middle School and Leek High School, the council said.

Households with links to the schools are urged to get rapid PCR Covid tests.

Ella Nosworthy from Nozstock says there are "major issues" for the UK festival season.

A pedestrian has suffered potentially serious injuries after a crash with a lorry.

The man was hurt on Warren Lane in Branston, Staffordshire, just before 9:00 this morning.

Two air ambulances were sent to the scene as well as land ambulances.

Image source, Getty Images

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: "Initial reports suggested that the pedestrian was in a serious condition.

"He was taken by road ambulance to the Queens Medical Centre in Nottingham, a major trauma centre."

The service said the man driving the lorry was shaken, but unhurt.

Birmingham Live

Some of the Birmingham Live headlines today include:

• Family pay tribute to schoolboy stabbed to death, external
• Man rushed to hospital after Bloxwich stabbing, external
• Birmingham City Council knew drivers wouldn't pay £8 fee at launch 'two months ago', external

Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Staffordshire have all been given extra funding to improve the safety of their streets.

Those local authorities will share £1,974,787 along with the West Mercia Police and Crime Commissioner and Staffordshire's Police Fire and Crime Commissioner.

The money is intended for projects to target crimes like burglary, vehicle theft and robbery through measures like better street lighting and CCTV.

Image source, Getty Images

The money for the West Midlands, from the Safer Streets Fund, is shared out like this:

• Birmingham City Council - £432,000
• Staffordshire PFCC - £432,000
• West Mercia PCC - £863,185
• Wolverhampton City Council - £247,602

In total £18.3m is being given to councils and police and crime commissioners around England and Wales.

BBC Sport

Aston Villa's Tyrone Mings and Jack Grealish (pictured) both got a start for England in their friendly win over Austria last night, along with Wolves' Conor Coady.

Southgate, who named his 26-man squad for the Euros on Tuesday, picked a side without Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City players because they had played recently in the Europa League and Champions League finals.

Image source, Getty Images

Aston Villa's Ollie Watkins, who was left out of the European Championships squad, has remained with the team for their two friendlies and also played last night, coming on as a substitute in the second half.

And the former Birmingham City player Jude Bellingham became the youngest player to start a game for England since Wayne Rooney, aged 17 years and 338 days.

England won the match 1-0, with a goal from Arsenal's Bukayo Saka.

BBC Weather

Today is going to be a little cooler, with temperatures reaching 21C (70F) and there will be more cloud around, but it should stay dry.

And that weather is going to stay with us now, through the weekend and into next week.

You can find your local forecast here.

Good morning and welcome to our live service for Thursday.

We'll be bringing you the latest news, sport, weather and travel updates from across the West Midlands until 18:00 BST.

If you want to get in touch, you can send us your news, views and photos via Facebook , externaland Twitter, external.

Emma Grainger is in a coma after migraine treatments went wrong and care costs thousands every week.

Sisterhood On Wheels is a group for black women who want to try roller-skating in Birmingham.

The man, in his 50s, is believed to have got into difficulties in the water, police say.

That's all for now, but we'll be back with the latest updates on news, sport, weather and travel from 08:00 on Thursday.

In the meantime, this page will keep up to date with any breaking news from the West Midlands.

Worcester News

Here are some of the stories on the Worcester News website:

• Number of Covid cases in Worcester starts to fall, external
• Worcester's Perdiswell Leisure Centre will have to close so slippy floor can be replaced, external
• Evesham theatre group could close after fire wipes out storage unit, external

Thirty-one people with links to two schools and a college have tested positive for coronavirus.

Murder-accused Benjamin Monk says he thought he and his colleague "were going to die".

A van driver has died and two others have been taken to hospital after a crash in Herefordshire.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it was called to the junction of the B4203 and B4204 at Upper Sapey at 11:09 and found a car and a van had collided.

The van was on its side and despite the efforts of police officers and passers-by the man driving the van died at the scene of the crash.

A man who was a passenger in the van suffered what the ambulance service called "non-serious injuries" and was taken to the Worcestershire Royal Hospital for checks.

A woman who had been driving the car also suffered non-serious injuries and was also taken for checks there.

Dea-John Reid, 14, was described by his family as an "incredibly talented young boy".

BBC News Travel

A fault with the signalling system , externalis causing delays of up to 20 minutes, alterations and cancellations to trains at Birmingham New Street, the National Rail website reports.

This is expected to continue until 18:00.