Image source, Google

Police are investigating a rape on a churchyard footpath in Shropshire.

The incident happened on Tuesday, between 23:00 and 23:30 BST in Lychgate Walk, Wellington, West Mercia Police said.

Det Sgt Jon Taylor said people helped the female victim and appealed for them to contact the force as well as anyone who saw a man running away from the scene.

“This is a popular footpath between King Street and Church Street, we know that people may have helped the victim and we are appealing for them to contact us to help us with our investigation.

"We are also interested to identify and speak with a man who was seen running away from the area."

Police also wish to hear from motorists in the area at the time that may have dash-cam footage.

These photos of a raid on a petrol station in Atherstone have been released by Warwickshire Police.

As we reported on Thursday, thieves used explosives to break their way into a cash machine in the early hours.

Image source, Warwickshire Police

Warwickshire Police said security camera footage showed a number of vehicles passing the Ratcliffe Road Service Station shortly before and after the explosion at 01:38 BST on Thursday and detectives are hoping the people in those vehicles may have seen something.

They're also shocked anyone would use explosives at a petrol station and Det Insp Owen Fell said the thieves had been "extremely reckless and it is lucky that we are not dealing with far more serious consequences”.

Image source, Warwickshire Police

People in Dudley are being urged to get their vaccine when called, as Covid-19 cases rise in the area

There are currently 33.9 cases per 100,000 residents in Dudley borough - a 67.8% increase compared to figures recorded four weeks ago.

Dudley Council said there were particularly high rates in Halesowen, Brierley Hill and Kingswinford South areas.

The largest number of cases is in the 10 to 19 age group with the second largest number of cases being in the 30 to 39 age group, it said.

Image source, Getty Images

Councillor Nicolas Barlow said: "We are at a pivotal point in our fight against the pandemic and, despite the amazing progress we are making with the vaccine rollout, Covid-19 continues to present us with huge challenges.

"Vaccination is going well in Dudley borough but we need to do more and the most important action we can take is to get our vaccine when offered."

BBC Weather Watchers

There are cloudy skies across the West Midlands for many of our local BBC Weather Watchers today.

Here are three photos from users Colanda, in Whixall, Shropshire; BymsterFromLimster, in Kimbolton, Herefordshire; and Hedgehog, in Bidford-on-Avon, Warwickshire:

Image source, Colanda

Image source, BymsterFromLimster

Image source, Hedgehog

No trams will run on the West Midlands Metro network until further notice.

A worker needed hospital treatment for eight days after getting trapped in it, investigators say.

People in Silverdale continue to complain of a bad smell coming from Walleys Quarry, with almost 1,000 recorded by the Environment Agency this week alone.

Locals have been campaigning to "stop the stink" at the Staffordshire landfill site for months.

In its latest report, external, the Environment Agency said the site's operator Walley's Quarry Ltd had identified more of the site that was suitable for sealing to reduce the odour, and 17,200m2 will be capped in due course.

The agency said odour levels continue to be above the World Health Organization levels for "annoyance" but below the level for impact on short-term health.

It also reported staff at the site had been subject to abuse and threats and appealed for locals to respect its workers.

Thousands of cricket fans are again at Edgbaston, Birmingham, for the second day of England's second Test with New Zealand.

Image source, PA Media

On Thursday, 18,000 attended as part of the government's pilot scheme to get crowds back in for live events.

The BBC's Stephan Shemilt at Edgbaston described it as the "world's largest stag do".

The home side resumed on 258-7 and you can follow all the live coverage via the BBC Cricket website.

The items were discovered in the county in May 2018 by a local metal detectorist.

Jonathan Houseman allegedly shot two men dead in a Dudley car park over a £200,000 debt.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Here are some of the stories on the Stoke-on-Trent Live website:

• Police slammed over 'dangerous' speed camera van 'endangering pedestrians lives', external
• Police descend on Stoke-on-Trent street after up to 12 people in 'altercation', external
• Hero Dean jumps into canal to stop woman drowning in dramatic rescue, external

E-scooters in three cities will be modified, but there are claims it will not protect blind people.

One porn creator says lockdown was a "good time to start" as there was high demand for content.

Six months since Margaret Keenan became the first member of the public in the world to have a Pfizer Covid jab, at Coventry Hospital, the trust has delivered its millionth vaccine.

Shan Aravindan, 50, was met with a round of applause after receiving the vaccine at Rugby's Locke House vaccination centre on Thursday afternoon.

The father-of-two told the BBC he was "really happy" to have had the jab and had not experienced any side effects.

Norman Byrd, clinical director at Rugby, delivered the jab and said staff, most of whom are volunteers, had been "flat out".

"Now we're ready to go with the younger patients in Rugby," he said. "We're ready to finish the job."

Noel Conway's wife says her husband had a "painless and dignified death" at home.

Birmingham Speedway will not host another race until at least 1 July, saying current coronavirus restrictions are making their business "unviable".

Image source, Empics

Co-owners Peter and David Mason said the venue was suffering heavy losses by limiting the number of fans in the stadium and had also been hit by a ban on taking on-the-door payments, as their older fans often did not have access to the internet to pay online.

“The constraints with which we are working in are making it impossible to run as a sustainable business right now," Peter said.

“We are desperately trying to make it work and we are determined to keep this club afloat," he said. “But right now we are working with our hands tied behind our back."

Parents of children at nine schools across the West Midlands have been told they will need to buy students an iPad for their studies, sparking a backlash.

The iPads can be paid for with a £510 one-off payment or £16 a month over three years for pupils at the Windsor Academy Trust, which runs schools in Halesowen, Walsall, Kingswinford and parts of Staffordshire.

Image source, Getty Images

The scheme is designed to boost pupils' digital skills and improve their access to education at home.

Mandy Moore, whose son is in year 8 at one of the schools, branded the decision "absolutely ridiculous".

"There's a lot of families that can't afford it," she said. "Why can't they have something cheaper?"

She also raised concerns students would become "obvious targets" for thieves.

Matt Meckin, director of primary at Windsor Academy Trust, said so far more than 1,000 pupils had benefited from the scheme which he said had been "hugely successful".

He said the trust had not come across any safety incidents, or reports of stolen iPads, and financial support was available for families who were struggling.

A pet was left with serious injuries after being attacked by a dog in Stoke-on-Trent.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

Staffordshire Police, which is appealing for witnesses, said it had happened at Chatterley Whitfield Heritage Park shortly after 19:00 BST on 3 June and the dog involved was believed to be "a pitbull type".

Staffordshire Police officers who were tasked with monitoring London Bridge attacker Usman Khan were not sufficiently trained, the police watchdog has found.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct published its findings after an inquest jury found he was lawfully killed by police officers after the attack at Fishmongers' Hall on 29 November 2019.

Image source, Met Police

Khan, from Stafford, fatally stabbed Jack Merritt and Saskia Jones, of Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, during a prisoner rehabilitation conference at the London venue.

The Prevent team with Staffordshire Police had been tasked with monitoring Khan, who had been released from prison less than a year earlier, where he was viewed as an "influential" inmate who mixed with high-profile terrorists.

The IOPC found the officers were not sufficiently trained to manage this level of risk, as their role is mainly to safeguard and protect vulnerable people from being drawn into terrorism.

BBC Weather

It'll be fairly cloudy for the most part of today but it will be staying pretty warm and quite humid.

As we make our way through to the afternoon, that cloud will start to break up and we should start to see some sunny spells.

Expect highs of 21C (70F) this afternoon.

Image source, Suttonwalker/ BBC Weather Watchers