Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC Radio WM

A trial of e-scooters in Birmingham is set to be extended into next year.

Image source, AFP

Senior councillors will vote on a report today that describes the pilot as a "relatively low cost and low risk method of trialling a new alternative to private cars".

The report says more than 550,000 journeys have been made on the scooters - owned and maintained by Voi - between September 2020 and July 2021.

In that time, there were 11 serious and 107 minor injuries - all but one to the rider of the scooter.

The report also revealed 58% of e-scooter users were under 34, 76% were male and 24% were students.

But charity the National Federation of the Blind of the UK says it "vehemently disagrees" with the extension of the trial.

It claims the safety of the scooters and the risk to vulnerable pedestrians is not being properly assessed.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans are being put forward for a sculpture to honour 300 years of industry in the Ironbridge Gorge.

The Coalbrookdale Foundry closed in 2017 after centuries of metal casting. The Coke Hearth Improvements Group is proposing to place an anvil, recovered from the site, on the nearby green.

Casts of a jacket, visor and boots will be added to give the impression “a foundry worker has sat on the anvil, taken off his PPE and walked away”, the group says.

Image source, Coke Hearth Improvements Group / Telford and Wrekin Council

Plans for the sculpture will go before Telford & Wrekin Council on a date to be confirmed.

Earlier this year, Shropshire Homes Ltd applied to build a 30-flat block and 48 new houses on the nine-acre Wellington Road foundry site, with a planning decision on the application still to be made.

BBC Weather

Any early mist patches will clear leaving an unseasonably warm day with plenty of sunshine and highs of 29°C (84°F).

This was the scene earlier in Oldbury as taken by BBC Weather Watcher dixtwenty.

Image source, dixtwenty

Matt and Trish say they were initially terrified but "worries and fears" soon disappear.

Declan Jones is accused of the offence which is linked to an incident in Birmingham, the IOPC says.

Sam Robson and Mark Stoneman share an opening stand of 376 against Sussex, while Essex retain control against Gloucestershire.

BBC Radio CWR

Double Paralympic silver-medallist Kare Adenegan said she found it tough to compete in the Tokyo Games with no international crowd support.

Image source, PA Media

The 20-year-old, from Coventry, came second in both the T34 100m and T34 800m.

Organisers did not permit any international fans at the Games due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kara said not having her family there to support her "was definitely a struggle but I knew what I wanted to achieve".

She added: "I had to really think 'why am I doing it' and knowing that I want to inspire the next generation."

Having returned home, she said she was looking forward to two weeks off before returning to her studies at the University of Warwick.

Keith Barker makes a stubborn 49 not out against his former county as Hampshire build a crucial lead against Warwickshire.

Exterior work on the 18th Century house will take another year, its owners say.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Tributes have been paid to a "hugely respected" veteran councillor.

Councillor Neil Eustace, 65, of Yardley East ward served as Birmingham city councillor for 35 years since being first elected in 1986. The Liberal Democrat died at the weekend.

Mr Eustace was a long-standing member and former chair of the licensing and public protection committee and also served as deputy lead member of the West Midlands Fire and Rescue Authority.

His sister, Julie Baum, 60 said: "We are very proud of him because of everything he has done.

"He loved the area and devoted as much time as he could to try and make the area better for people."

Image source, Birmingham City Council

Councillor Jon Hunt, leader of the Liberal Democrat group, said: "Neil was a dynamo, hugely respected in Yardley and within the Liberal Democrats.

"His passing is unexpected and we will miss him hugely."

Stratford-on-Avon and Warwick District Councils are considering a proposal to merge, creating a new district council covering the whole of South Warwickshire.

A public consultation on the plans starts today and runs until 24 October.

The consultation document and online questionnaire can be viewed and completed online.

Councillor Andrew Day, leader of Warwick District Council said: "As much as the pandemic has been a crisis for us, it has presented a challenge and an opportunity for us to re-imagine what local government services in South Warwickshire might be like in the future.

"We need to hear your views – we need to listen and respond to what our residents want."

Councillor Tony Jefferson, leader of Stratford-on-Avon District Council added: "Both Councils face significant financial challenges - the impact of dealing with the pandemic, when combined with the increased costs of delivering existing services, such as waste management, as well as responding to the climate emergency."

The crumbling begins after the school run, with one onlooker saying "it could have been so much worse".

Preparations have started on a faith-themed event as part of Coventry's year as City of Culture.

The event on 10 and 11 September - which has Faith as its title - will see theatre productions transferring to the streets and the city centre becoming a "tapestry of lights".

In the meantime, designer Tom Piper, who created the poppy memorial at the Tower of London, has started to create a "visual representation" of the ties between faith groups in the city.

Image source, Coventry City of Culture Trust

Blue ribbons are being installed at faith sites, with city-based composer Sayan Kent creating an original score to accompany the project.

The event is set to end with a ceremony in which people will be invited to Millennium Square to light one of 500 flames.

Image source, Coventry City of Culture Trust

Image source, Coventry City of Culture Trust

Shropshire Star

Here are some of the headlines from the Shropshire Star website today:

• Grieving couple speak out as hospital trust admits liability over baby death , external
• Warnings of delays throughout September as lorries transport huge wind farm sections , external
• More than 60 Shropshire patients waiting more than two years for surgery, external

With hot weather expected over the next few days, people in Staffordshire are being reminded of the dangers of swimming in open water.

Even the strongest swimmers, it said, can find themselves at risk from the sudden change between air and water temperature and hidden hazards beneath the surface.

Image source, Staffordshire County Council

Victoria Wilson, Staffordshire County Council’s communities leader, said: "Unfortunately we hear far too often about people getting into difficulties swimming in reservoirs, lakes and quarries.

"Our message is very much enjoy being near the water and the supervised activities on offer when it comes to places such as Chasewater reservoir, but when it comes to swimming be safe and go to public, supervised pools."

Express and Star

The Express and Star has these headlines today:

• Wolves' Romain Saiss evacuated from Guinea as Villa players face deportation from Brazil, external
• Mourning Wolverhampton woman thought cancer symptoms were caused by grief, external
• Crime spike fears leads to police opposing HMO plan, external

A Birmingham hospital has apologised after an error led to a healthy twin being terminated in error.

The Sunday Express said, external a pregnant mother made the decision to abort one of her twins, which was suffering from restrictive growth, raising the chances of stillbirth and putting the healthy baby at risk.

But during the procedure at Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, the healthy twin was targeted and both died.

It said the case was among 700 incidents, detailed in a Freedom of Information request, from NHS hospitals in England where basic errors caused deaths.

Image source, Getty Images

Dr Fiona Reynolds, Chief Medical Officer at Birmingham Women's and Children's NHS Foundation Trust, said: "Sadly, during a highly specialised fetal procedure in 2019 that involved operating within the womb to separate and potentially save the life of a single twin that shared a placenta, a fatal error occurred.

"A full and comprehensive investigation was carried out swiftly after this tragic case and the findings were shared with the family, along with our sincere apologies and condolences.

"The outcome of that thorough review has led to a new protocol being developed to decrease the likelihood of such an incident happening again.

"This has been shared with centres that carry out this complex procedure."

A man has died after coming off his motorbike in the early hours of Sunday.

The crash happened on Aldridge Road, Oscott, Birmingham, at about 03:00, said West Midlands Police.

The force, which said the victim was 38, asked for any witnesses to come forward.

Designs for Birmingham City Council's 2021 RHS Chelsea Flower display have been revealed.

The display, following on from Baroness Floella Benjamin's 2019 garden, gives examples of how to make a positive environmental difference in your own home, garden or the community you live in, the city council said.

Entitled Floella's Future Generation, it is sponsored by Veolia.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

Councillor John O'Shea said: "The nurseries team always put together a visually stunning and thought-provoking display for the Chelsea Flower Show and I am sure the judges will be impressed again this year."

Tour manager Bernard Young says the band faced difficulty with a "messed up car".