BBC Weather Watchers

Is it warm enough for you?

Plenty of the BBC Weather Watchers are out and about in the sweltering heat.

Serena took this lovely pic in Woodcote on the Shropshire/Staffordshire border.

Image source, Serena

Tippytoes was out in Walsall and snapped this.

Image source, Tippytoes

While over in Stoke Saint Milborough, Miss Healthy took this photo.

Image source, Miss Healthy

Share your weather pics with us by becoming a BBC Weather Watcher here.

A man has been taken to hospital with stab wounds after reports of fighting in the Lozells area of Birmingham earlier this afternoon.

West Midlands Police said officers were called to Villa Street at 15:45, but the man's injuries are not thought to be serious.

Artists painted on shipping containers, a van and clubhouse wall at the first of a series of "creative community events" in Tamworth.

Image source, Vic Brown

Image source, Vic Brown

Vic Brown, founder of the New Urban Era (Nue) art project, said visitors were "amazed" at the work by 25 artists at its first public event since the pandemic restrictions last year.

"It was amazing to see people at our events again on Saturday after such a long time away," he said.

"We had to limit capacity and the number of artists involved due to social distancing but this didn't dampen the atmosphere that continued until late evening."

Workshops in breakdancing and spray-can art were among activities at North Warwickshire Recreational Sports grounds.

Organisers decide not to hold a large gathering in Small Heath Park due to rising rates of Covid-19.

Birmingham City Council's cabinet member for children's services has stood down from the role.

Councillor Kate Booth said she had taken on the job in May 2018, "inheriting the complex issues relating to rapidly increasing demand for services following decades of poor performance".

Ofsted inspectors had found in 2018 "significant areas of weakness" in the council's special educational needs provision.

The watchdog along with the Care Quality Commission (CQC) revisited the set-up in May of this year and found improvements had been made in only one area out of 13.

Image source, Getty Images

Ms Booth said in a statement., external: "Now, given the recent re-inspection findings, which I fully accept, and the timescale involved, I have taken the decision to step aside to allow a new cabinet member with a fresh approach and perspective to build on the work I have started and the large-scale task of creating a service that meets the needs of children, carers and families.

"As a former teacher, I know how vitally important it is to have the right services, support and opportunities in place, so that children can realise their potential and lead fulfilled inclusive lives."

She said she had already been planning to retire as a councillor in 2022.

City Council leader Ian Ward thanked Ms Booth for her efforts over the last three years.

"Kate has led this service through a difficult period, giving 100% commitment to the children and young people of this city."

He added "our focus must be on urgently addressing the serious issues raised in the Ofsted re-inspection" and "in speeding up the pace of change and improvement".

BBC Radio 5 Live

Hundreds of thousands of UK children at higher risk from coronavirus infection are to be offered the vaccine.

Ramandeep Kaur's 14-year-old son has Down's syndrome. Talking to 5 Live Breakfast, the mother, from Sutton Coldfield, described her relief at the news.

"If he was to get Covid, he wouldn't be able to tell us his symptoms," she said.

"It's a real guessing game for us if he ended up in hospital... it would be a really scary time for him and us."

More than 80 swimmers sign a statement in support of suspended coach Alan Bircher.

About 400 Muslims from across the West Midlands gathered for prayers at Edgbaston cricket ground.

There's no hosepipe ban yet, but Severn Trent is urging its customers to avoid baths and the use of water sprinklers over the next few days as temperatures are set to remain close to 30C (86F) until the weekend.

The company said 2.2bn litres of water were used across its region yesterday, and while reservoir levels were still in a "healthy position", it was battling to treat and pump out water fast enough for demand.

Image source, Getty Images

Severn Trent says it expects water usage to increase when children break up for the summer holidays.

And it has also asked people to use watering cans instead of garden hoses, to wash cars with sponges, and to cover paddling pools, rather than re-filling them.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Solihull’s director of public health has warned a rising rate of Covid infections in the borough "could undo much of the hard work of the past months of lockdown”.

Ruth Tennant said she was "really concerned", adding people should "keep doing the simple things that have kept us safe over the past year".

Image source, LDRS

Covid infection rates have risen across every one of Solihull's council wards, with 1,778 new cases reported in the seven days to 15 July.

The council also reported the majority of residents in their 20s were yet to receive their first vaccine dose.

Extra support for councils across UK tackling rise in Covid-19 cases could be limited to five weeks.

Express and Star

From the Express and Star today:

• Health inequalities behind region's high Covid death rate, report says, external
• More than 12,000 told to self-isolate in Black Country and Staffordshire, external
• Work starts on transforming derelict Black Country foundry into new neighbourhood, external

BBC Radio Shropshire

With all the sunshine at the moment, it's a good day to be announcing a solar farm - and that's what Shropshire Council has done today.

It's intending to spend more than £1m on a former landfill site on Maesbury Road, on the edge of Oswestry, if the scheme gets planning permission.

Image source, Getty Images

The power generated, enough to supply 500 homes, will be sold to the packaging company Arla.

The council believes it will make enough money to cover build costs within 30 years.

The authority adds the farm won't generate much of a profit, but if the project is successful, it will look at repeating it elsewhere in the county.

A 21-year-old man is arrested on suspicion of wounding the woman, police say.

A man has died after his car hit a tree in Alcester.

The ambulance service said it was called to the junction of Coughton Lane and Alcester Heath at 07:30 on Monday.

Image source, Google

"The driver, a man, was being given CPR by bystanders and fire colleagues when crews arrived," a spokeswoman for the service said.

He was given advanced life support by the team of ambulance staff, but "sadly, despite their best efforts, nothing could be done to save the man and he was confirmed dead a short time later", she added.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Stoke-on-Trent Live has these headlines today:

• Incurable disease puts dad in hospital for 18 months, external
• Stoke-on-Trent bin collections 'disrupted' as pinged workers self-isolate, external
• Air ambulance scrambled as biker suffers 'serious injuries' in crash, external

Young people are being invited to join a new dance group that will perform at the opening and closing ceremonies of the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games.

Image source, Birmingham 2022

The group will be called Critical Mass 2022, external and organisers say as well as the ceremonies, performers will take part in other events during the year of the Games, including Birmingham International Dance Festival.

Volunteers have to be aged between 16 and 30, and Raidene Carter, from the organising team, says people from a range of backgrounds are wanted.

"We are on the look out for a truly diverse collective who represent Birmingham’s vibrant communities," she said.

In August, summer camps will begin for potential dancers in areas including Leamington Spa, Shrewsbury, Walsall, Wolverhampton, Coventry and Worcester.

Organisers say they will form a disabled and non-disabled dance group and people do not need to have any previous dance experience.

BBC Sport

Image source, BBC Sport

Wolves have been handed a chance to sign Barcelona and Denmark striker Martin Braithwaite, 30.(Mail), external

Everton are interested in Burnley winger Dwight McNeil, 21, in a deal worth £25m, but face competition from Aston Villa.(Liverpool Echo), external

Leeds are considering a move for Wolverhampton Wanderers' Spanish winger Adama Traore, 25.(90 min), external

People in the West Midlands are being warned to be aware of the signs of heat exhaustion during this week's soaring temperatures.

Image source, Getty Images

Some areas of the UK could reach a sweltering 33C (91.4F), while parts of our region are covered by an extreme heat weather warning, issued by the Met Office.

It highlights the dangers of sunburn and heat exhaustion, with Public Health England also issuing a heat-health alert.

The BBC website has this advice for what to do if someone has heat exhaustion:

If they can be cooled down within half an hour, then heat exhaustion is not normally serious.

The NHS advice is to:

• Move them to a cool place.
• Get them to lie down and raise their feet slightly
• Get them to drink plenty of water - sports or rehydration drinks are also OK
• Cool their skin - spray or sponge them with cool water and fan them.
• Cold packs around the armpits or neck are good too

However, if they do not recover within 30 minutes, then what follows is heat stroke.

It is a medical emergency and you should phone 999.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
David Irwin

Garden waste collections have been cancelled in Solihull this week as "significant" numbers of bin crews have been told to self-isolate.

The borough is among many parts of the country to see rubbish services disrupted, with Coventry, external and Bromsgrove , externalamong the areas with a dwindling workforce affecting collections.

Solihull's local authority says green bins will not be emptied this week as it focuses staff instead on collecting general and recycled waste.

A date for restarting the garden waste service has not been confirmed.