The fire on a lorry carrying 28 tonnes of bitumen shut part of the southbound carriageway.

An area of Staffordshire is among one of the worst areas affected by a lack of GPs, research shows.

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The analysis has shown that there is on average one GP per 2,038 people across the country, but in East Staffordshire that dropped to just 1,745 - the fifth worst affected area of the country.

The Liberal Democrats, who commissioned the analysis, have called on the government to train more GPs.

The party's health spokesperson Munira Wilson MP said: "These figures reveal a postcode lottery of care that is leaving people struggling to get GP appointments or waiting weeks to be seen."

The Solihull Moors player was taken to hospital in the back of a car over a six-hour ambulance wait.

The women's team, led by Telford's Saffron Allen, has missed out on Winter Games qualification.

Problems in getting petrol was distressing for health workers and patients, a health boss says.

A 30-year-old man has been arrested following suspected arson at a Wellesbourne pub.

Police officers and firefighters were called to the Stags Head, Chestnut Square, after "multiple reports of a fire" at about 01:00.

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Appealing for information, Det Con Emma Mackay of Warwickshire Police said: “We are working with the fire service to establish the cause and are treating the incident as suspected arson at this time.

“We appreciate this is a concerning incident but thankfully no-one suffered any injuries."

The fire has been put out but officers said several road closures were expected to remain in place "for the coming days" as part of their investigation.

The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust pays its male employees an average of 26% more than its female staff, latest figures reveal.

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Dividing its employees into quartiles from highest paid to lowest paid, the trust, in Stratford-upon-Avon, also said that 88.5% of its staff in the lower middle quartile were women and 74.1% in the lower quartile.

Despite being underrepresented in the lower quartiles, men take up 46% of the jobs in the upper quartile and are also paid an average of just under £7 more an hour than women at that level.

The charity blamed the pandemic and furlough scheme which is said had an "impact on our gender pay gap calculation". Its last report, in 2018, showed a 5.2% gender pay gap favouring men.

The trust said it was "committed to reducing our gender pay gap".

"We are determined to do our utmost to ensure an inclusive, welcoming environment for our people and audiences," it said, adding that it had hired a specialist consultancy firm to help it understand how to better "welcome people from all places and backgrounds".

Dawid Kurdziel was found dead outside a restaurant in Ketley, Telford, in July.

The attacker takes objection to the victim holding hands with a man in Birmingham city centre.

Police appealed for help on social media after the 37-year-old was reported missing on Sunday.

BBC Radio CWR

A hospital said it had not see a huge surge in patients with Covid-19 needing treatment even as cases rise in the local community.

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Two areas of Warwickshire, Nuneaton and Bedworth and Stratford-upon-Avon, are currently among the top 20 areas in England for infection rates, according to the latest figures.

In Nuneaton and Bedworth, it has risen to 706 per 100,000 for the seven days to 6 October compared with 623 the week before.

Stratford's has risen to 588 from 528 over the same period.

Nina Morgan, chief nursing officer at University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire NHS trust, said staff had seen a steady number of coronavirus patients.

"We have not seen that huge surge that we saw previously. We actually have 46 patients at Coventry at the moment and nine are in critical care," she said.

A woman has been assaulted at a property in Newcastle-under-Lyme by a man who had demanded money from her, police said.

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The attack happened at an address in the King Street area at about 19:30 to 19:40 BST on Saturday.

The man, who was described as white, in his mid-20s and with a local accent, fled in the direction of Albert Street.

Staffordshire Police, which has appealed for people, external in the area to review their doorbell, CCTV or dashcam footage, said the suspect was about 5ft 10 in to 6ft tall; had a slim face with high cheek bones, brown eyes and was clean shaven.

He was wearing a black waterproof jacket and pale grey jogging bottoms.

A man has appeared in court via video link charged with manslaughter over the death of a pensioner.

Ashley Sumner, of Berwyn View, Ellesmere, is accused of killing 80-year-old John Bathers in north Shropshire on 6 September.

The 31-year-old faces further allegations of taking a vehicle without consent and driving other than in accordance with a licence.

During the appearance at Stafford Crown Court on Monday, Judge Kristina Montgomery QC remanded Mr Sumner in custody to reappear at the same court for a plea hearing on 19 October.

The race in Shrewsbury on Sunday was held for the first time in 18 months, following the pandemic.

BBC Radio CWR

A school chef who is in the running to win a national contest said he wanted to show that children's views must be at the forefront of school meals.

Lee Taylor, from John Gulson Primary, Coventry, is among 11 school chefs from across England competing for the award.

Run by food delivery firm LACA, , externalthey will compete over two days, starting on Tuesday, to try to become School Chef of the Year.

Mr Taylor said the school's catering team was also up for an award and they all love to get good reactions from their pupils to their food.

He said: "You have to look at what the kids say. We are child inspired, all our menus are. If we cannot inspire a child to eat our food, what is the point?"

National Highways says the work will improve signs and road markings along the A49 in Shropshire.

Telford's Liam Davies says the atmosphere in Birmingham was "unreal" during his points win over Dixon Flores.

Covid-19 rates across the West Midlands show a mixed picture.

England was the first nation in Europe to remove widespread restrictions in July and today it has one of the highest infection rates.

Areas such as Nuneaton, Cannock Chase, Stratford upon Avon and Lichfield remain some of the worst affected areas of England.

Almost two thirds of all local authority areas in the West Midlands saw rises in their Covid-19 rates in the seven days up to and including 6 October.

In Wyre Forest and Bromsgrove, the rate rose almost 30% to more than 520 new cases per 100,000 people.

However there were also large falls, with Rugby, only last week listed as the second worst affected part of England, seeing a fall of 34% week-on-week.

Herefordshire, which last week recorded its highest case numbers since the pandemic began, saw its rate drop from 625 new infections per 100,000 people to 482.

Worcester, Malvern Hills and Birmingham (the most populated local authority area in England) all recorded some of the lowest rates in England, with fewer than 260 new cases per 100,000 people.

Close to Worcester and Malvern Hills, Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire recorded the lowest rate of all in England.

Crucially there has also been no huge surge in hospital admissions, with 1,008 beds in the wider Midlands occupied by Covid-19 patients in the week up to 8 October - up slightly from 930 a week earlier, but fewer beds than a month ago.

Work on the £3.6m project aimed at improving traffic flow in Shifnal is already under way.

Express and Star

A few of the early headlines from the Express and Star today:

• Comments, catcalling and creeps: Wolverhampton women on why they won't walk home alone, external
• Last chance to block green belt plans as consultation closes, external
• Fresh plans submitted for delayed homes complex in Walsall, external