The shortlist of bidders has been announced for a contract worth up to £370m to build a station on the UK’s new high-speed rail network in Solihull.

Image source, HS2 Ltd

The contract was set to support 1,000 jobs and there would be up to five trains per hour passing through the station in both directions, HS2 said.

The construction site for the station covers an area of 150 hectares and is within a triangle of land formed by the M42, A45 and A452.

HS2 Ltd said the following organisations would be invited to tender: Laing O’Rourke Construction Limited; Skanska Construction UK Limited; and Unity - a joint venture between Sir Robert McAlpine and VolkerFitzpatrick, supported by a subcontractor, WSP.

The contract is set to be awarded next year.

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man died in a crash in Staffordshire.

Image source, Family

Matthew Babb, 33, from the Stafford area, died in a crash involving a grey Vauxhall Combo van on Newport Road, in Gnosall, at about 03:10 BST on Sunday.

No other vehicles were involved.

Mr Babb's family have been informed and are being supported by specially-trained officers.

A 33-year-old man from the Stafford area was taken to Royal Stoke University Hospital by ambulance with a shoulder injury and has since been discharged.

Today will be another largely cloudy day. It should remain dry too, but the odd spell of light drizzle cannot be completely ruled out.

There is the small chance of a few brief bright spells later on. Highs of 14C to 17C (57F to 63F).

This evening and tonight, thicker cloud will build back in and it will become overcast throughout the night.

It should stay mostly dry but a small chance of a spell of drizzle remains under thick cloud. Lows of 11C to 14C (52F to 57F).

Welcome to our live service for Wednesday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you, so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, Twitter, external and Facebook, external.

Charlton Athletic sign Sam Lavelle from Morecambe for an undisclosed fee and bring in Harry Arter and Jonathan Leko on loan.

Coventry City sign full-back Todd Kane from fellow Championship side QPR on a two-year contract for an undisclosed fee.

Members of the public try to help Ghulam Nabi who is declared dead at the scene, police say.

Essex close in on victory over Glamorgan while Darren Stevens hits an unbeaten 55 for Kent in the County Championship lower divisions.

Josh Bohannon hits his sixth County Championship half-century of the summer as dogged Lancashire reply to Warwickshire's 371.

Emergency services said they have still been unable to enter the site to search for a missing man.

We'll be back from 08:00 on Wednesday with more news, sport, travel and weather.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Rejected plans for 1,000 houses to be built on the site of the former Ironbridge Power Station are to go back before the council.

Shropshire Council turned down plans for the 350-acre site at Buildwas over concerns about traffic, a lack of healthcare in the area and the number of affordable homes.

But a refusal notice was not issued, with legal advice sought by developer Harworth Group over how the decision was arrived at.

Image source, Shropshire Council

During the process, Harworth submitted an amended proposal, which has led planners to bring the application back before the committee.

The amendments seek to address the reasons for refusal, the council says.

The application is set to be debated at a dedicated meeting on 20 September.

The victim is named as 50-year-old Matthew Carroll, known as Matty.

BBC Midlands Today

A Wolverhampton builder says some people are having to wait months for work to be carried out because of a shortage of building supplies.

Mick Daffern said he was seeing a high demand from prospective clients, but the problem was causing projects to be delayed.

"Some clients - rather than having a job starting in a couple of weeks' time might have to wait up to six months before we can get the materials for that job," he told BBC Midlands Today.

The Construction Leadership Council has warned cement, some electrical components, timber, steel and paints were in short supply. It blamed "unprecedented levels of demand" which it said was set to continue.

Mr Daffern, who said he was getting "20 or 30 phone calls a day" about work believed a lot of materials were being used in large housing developments.

Sheila Pickerill pleads guilty to grievous bodily harm in connection with the death of Nicola Bray.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Eleven people have suffered serious injuries related to e-scooter use in almost a year, according to a council report.

A trial of the small vehicles is under way in Birmingham and the city council's cabinet is next week set to consider whether to extend it to the end of March.

Image source, EPA

A report for the authority said there had been 550,000 e-scooter rides in the city from the start of the trial last September to the end of July.

Among the 11 serious injuries, the worst was a broken and dislocated shoulder. There have been 107 minor injuries.

The report added only one serious injury involved anyone other than the rider.

The only e-scooters that can be used on public roads are those rented as part of government-backed trials.

A recruitment fair will be held alongside this year's Mop Fair in Stratford-upon-Avon in a bid to ease a shortage of hospitality staff.

Image source, Advent Communications

The move will see a revival of the medieval fair's original purpose of putting together employers and prospective workers.

Cllr Matt Jennings of Stratford District Council said like other areas, the pandemic had a "significant impact" on businesses.

"We thought bringing back old traditions and hosting a Job and Apprenticeship Fair would be a great way for businesses looking to hire to meet people looking for work."

The fairs will take place on 12 October.

The Mop Fair, a street-based fun fair, which was granted its first royal charter in 1553, was reduced to a single ride last year because of the pandemic.

A police investigation is under way after a motorcyclist was killed in a crash in Bewdley.

The man in his 50s died at the scene on Heightington Road at 14:50 on Friday 13 August, police said.

"The collision involved a black Kawasaki ZL600 motorbike, which for unknown reasons at this time, lost control," said a spokeswoman for the West Mercia force.

Police appealed for witnesses and said they particularly wanted to speak to the occupants of both a dark and a red-coloured vehicle, which were being driven on the road at the time.

Now based in Coventry after assisting Army forces, he says his father is at risk amid Taliban control.

Road users in the West Midlands are being asked for their input on how the network can be improved.

Image source, National Highways

National Highways (formerly Highways England) says its new online tool , externalwill be open for feedback until 30 November to help inform decisions on future road investment.

The group said as well as capturing public feedback, it would be consulting local government, transport authorities and other interested parties.

Elliot Shaw, executive director for strategy and planning, said: "This is your opportunity to help inform the long-term vision for the future of our roads."