A man who was reported to have a gun on a street in Rugby turned out to have an imitation firearm, police said.

Officers were called to Church Walk at about 18:45 on Tuesday.

The force said they thoroughly searched the area and there was no risk to the public.

Tickets are available for 27 sports as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.

Express and Star

The Express and Star has covered these stories today:

• Primary school closed as staff refuse to turn up for work over bullying row, external
• Residents evacuated as three-metre deep sinkhole opens up in front garden, external
• Danger driver locked up after 100mph police chase across the West Midlands, external

Work has started on demolishing a former Bilston pub and neighbouring derelict garages to pave the way for potential new homes.

The Happy Wanderer pub site on Green Lanes has been subject to arson attacks since the pub closed in 2017, City of Wolverhampton Council said.

Its planning committee has granted owner Kam Sanghera permission to flatten it after it was deemed dangerous by building control.

A planning application has been submitted by the owner to build 33 apartments on the site with dedicated parking.

Image source, City of Wolverhampton Council

If approved, the development would see 11 one-bedroom and 22 two-bedroom flats built across three buildings.

Councillor Bhupinder Gakhal, said: "This positive action will make the site safe and remove the risk of further anti-social behaviour, making a big difference to the local community in Bilston."

Ed Sheeran spent three years supporting Leamington Spa-based Nizlopi when he was a teenager.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

A brighly-coloured artificial tree is being assembled in Solihull as a memorial to those people who lost their lives to the coronavirus.

The community art project is being led by Citizens Advice in Solihull and it will stand in the foyer of The Core - a council-run library and arts centre.

Image source, CASB

The artists working on the tree have invited people living in the area to contribute their own drawings and photos, to form the "leaves".

The tree will go on display from 13 September and the local authority is considering whether it should be taken to other venues around the borough in the future.

Image source, The Core

Dougal Shaw
BBC News

A woman leading a well-known High Street chain said the UK is "overdue a revolution" in women at the top of the country's biggest retail businesses.

Leanne Cahill is in charge of Bravissimo, the Leamington Spa-based business which specialises in lingerie for women in larger sizes.

The idea of becoming the boss of a multi-million pound company however, seemed far-fetched when Ms Cahill was at secondary school in Sunderland in the early 1990s.

"I had an affinity for maths and numbers and I was very ambitious," she remembers, "I really wanted to get to the top of whatever I did."

"But if the women aren't there doing it and you're not seeing that, you can't see yourself in that place, it's absolutely a barrier," she added.

Read more of her story here.

BBC Midlands Today

A nationwide ballot for tickets for the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games begins today.

Image source, PA Media

The Games are taking place from 28 July to 8 August at venues across the West Midlands including the Alexander Stadium, the new aquatics centre in Sandwell and on Cannock Chase.

There are between 1.5m and 1.7m tickets available and a ballot for local residents, which opened in July, has already attracted more than 850,000 applications.

The national ballot on the Games website runs until 20:00 on 30 September.

BBC Weather

The very warm weather continues today with dry, fine weather with plenty of sunny spells. Highs of 29C/84F.

Image source, BBC Weather Watcher Drizzler

The dry weather is forecast to end this evening as clouds increase with showers or spells of rain into the night which could be heavy and thundery at times. Lows of 17C/63F.

You can stay up-to-date on the weather for your area at any time by going to the BBC Weather website.

We'll be bringing you the latest news, sport, travel and weather from across the West Midlands.

If you would like to get in contact with us, we're available via email, Twitter, external and Facebook., external

Four people are on trial for non-payment of fines issued at the commemorative event.

Rob Yates is unbeaten on 70 and Dom Sibley makes 47 as Warwickshire grind to 139-2 in pursuit of 296 to beat Hampshire.

PC Declan Jones kicked and punched a 15-year-old he wrongly accused, a misconduct panel hears.

Middlesex post their highest-ever first-class total while there is an innings victory for Essex in the County Championship.

The motorcyclist is also seriously injured in the crash in Kington, Herefordshire, paramedics say.

Live updates how now finished for the West Midlands.

We'll be back with you tomorrow with the usual mix of new, sport, travel and weather.

Police name the missing man as David Boswell who will be sorely missed, his parents say.

Officers investigating an assault in Stoke-on-Trent at the weekend have released CCTV images of two men they would like to speak to.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

The assaults happened in Stafford Street, Hanley, shortly after 05:15, with two men being found unconscious.

A 25-year-old remains in hospital in a serious but stable condition and a 19-year-old has been discharged.

Staffordshire Police is asking for anyone who recognises the men to get in touch.

Aaron O'Halloran causes eight-hour passenger delays with his half-mile car ride between stations.

Police say the act has resulted in damage to the railway totalling more than £23,000.