Lifesaving equipment put by the riverside in Worcester after the death of student Tom Jones has been repaired.

The emergency rescue pole had become damaged but following intervention by the local authority it is back on the Severn's banks at Bromwich Parade.

The device has a buoyancy aid and hook at the end to help pull people to shore if they get in difficulties in the water.

It was installed after the death of Mr Jones, aged 18, who disappeared nine days before his body was recovered from the Severn in 2019.

Image source, Worcester City Council

Birmingham's annual Frankfurt Christmas market is set to return for its 21st year.

The event will run from 4 November to 23 December, from 10:00 to 21:00 each day, in an area between Victoria Square and New Street.

There was no market last year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

With planned works around Victoria Square, Birmingham City Council said the market would have fewer stalls this year; a move also taking into account the potential of change or cancellation, should Covid restrictions come back into effect during the winter.

The big wheel and ice rink is also due to return to Centenary Square and run from 4 November until 9 January.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

A man has been disqualified from driving after hitting a car which was carrying a mother and her two children.

Staffordshire Police said Lee Sorsby, 44, was stopped by officers after colliding with a stationary car on Stafford Road, Cannock, on 23 August.

He had been driving a Volkswagen Transporter when he struck the back of a Vauxhall Grandland, which inside had the woman and children who suffered superficial injuries in the crash.

The force said, upon arrival, officers found three empty bottles of vodka on Sorsby’s passenger seat and during a roadside breath test he blew a reading three times the legal limit.

Image source, Google

Sorsby pleaded guilty to drink-driving at Cannock Magistrates Court on 15 September.

As well as a 40-month disqualification, Sorsby, of Glovers Way, Telford was given a community order and told to pay a £1,600 fine.

Staffordshire Police said he had only just completed a recent disqualification for drink-driving prior to the incident.

Three youth workers are set to be stationed at A&E in Russells Hall Hospital, Dudley, to support those suspected of being "in a cycle of violence or exploitation", either as victims or perpetrators.

Image source, Alamy

With Home Office funding, it's part of a scheme by the violent crime reduction unit at West Midlands Police. The unit seeks to target the root causes of violent crime, working in partnership with St Giles Trust.

Funding has been secured for the positions to remain until March 2022 and similar schemes are already in operation at hospitals in Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Coventry.

Cleon Smith is sentenced to 32 years over separate bursts of violence against the same woman.

Sussex Sharks, Hampshire Hawks, Somerset and Kent Spitfires head to Edgbaston in a bid to be crowned T20 Blast champions.

Shropshire Star

Here are some of the headlines from the Shropshire Star website this morning:

• Shropshire Council under fire over spending on traffic calming measures, external
• Burglars leave empty-handed after being challenged by 98-year-old woman, external
• 'Wholesale failure' by council as mother pleaded for violent daughter to be taken into care, external

Three Birmingham chefs have urged young people to apply for hospitality jobs under the government's £2bn Kickstart jobs scheme before it ends.

Image source, PA Media

The programme matches people aged between 16 and 24 who are on Universal Credit to six-month paid placements. The deadline for applications is 31 December.

Chelmsley Wood-born Michelin star chef Glynn Purnell, who owns restaurant Purnell's, said the scheme would give young people "an opportunity", adding working in hospitality could "take you across the world".

He said: "It is a fantastic career and if you want to own the best sandwich shop, then you can do it, it isn't all about Michelin stars."

His plea was backed up by fellow Michelin star chef Aktar Islam, who runs Opheem, and Alex Claridge, the man behind The Wilderness.

All three chefs supported a plea by the West Midlands mayor Andy Street for more young people to sign up for thousands of vacancies in the hospitality industry.

"They're innovative jobs, they're ambitious jobs, we've seen the celebrity chefs - you might end up like one of them in years to come," Mr Street said.

A 62-year-old woman has been left with potentially life-changing injuries after a crash in a village near Congleton.

Image source, Google

Cheshire Constabulary said the woman was driving a Peugeot 108 along Holmes Chapel Road in Holmes Chapel on Tuesday when she crashed with an Audi A3.

The Audi fled the scene after the collision at about 05:30 BST, police said.

The force is appealing for any witnesses to come forwards as it tries to trace the other people involved.

Wolverhampton's dancing binmen are set to be celebrated in a children's book from Capt Sir Tom Moore's family about heroes of the pandemic.

Jack Johnson, Henry Wright and Adrian Breakwell gained a huge online following and raised money for charity after sharing videos of their dances, which included Grease and Baywatch-themed routines.

Mr Johnson said the trio were "really honoured" when they were told they would feature in the book. "It really touched our hearts," he said.

The illustrated, non-fiction work, One Hundred Reasons To Hope, was the idea of Capt Sir Tom's family, and tells 100 stories from the last 18 months. It has a foreword written by his daughter, Hannah Ingram-Moore.

Capt Sir Tom rose to national fame during the pandemic when as his 100th birthday approached, he completed sponsored laps of his garden to raise funds for NHS charities. The effort, which captured public imagination, ended up raising nearly £33m.

"To him they were all heroes, all of them," Ms Ingram-Moore said. "He always said 'all I did was one small step, everyone else is doing all these incredible things'."

The new chief constable of West Mercia Police starts work today.

Pippa Mills has come to the West Midlands from Essex Police.

Image source, Essex Police

She started her career at the Metropolitan Police in London, before becoming deputy chief constable of Essex in 2017.

Ch Const Mills is the first woman to lead the West Mercia force.

She replaces Anthony Bangham, who retired earlier this week after 30 years of service with West Mercia.

Traffic is building in Solihull town centre this morning after a vehicle crashed into a lamppost.

Lode Lane is partially blocked after the crash near the junction with Dovehouse lane.

Motorists are advised to expect delays.

Sara Blizzard
BBC Weather

There is a band of rain slowly making its way towards us that's due to start falling just in time for the weekend.

In the meantime, a misty start this morning will clear and we'll see a few sunny spells into the afternoon.

Temperatures are set to reach about 21C (70F).

Welcome to our live service for Friday.

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 , externaland Facebook., external

The Digbeth street culture festival is back - with a dream to see artwork across Birmingham.

Catch and release rules are being introduced by the Environment Agency to protect salmon stocks.

John Bathers is described as a "kind and caring man" in a family tribute.

Rebecca Currie says her son's breathing difficulties have been made worse by landfill emissions.

That's all from our live coverage today.

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

Parts of Staffordshire and Warwickshire are experiencing some of the highest rates of Covid-19 in England, according to the latest official figures.

Tamworth has seen its rate increase from 418 cases per 100,000 people to 467 in the seven days up to 12 September.

Only seven other areas in England have a worse rate.

Nuneaton and Bedworth, Staffordshire Moorlands and Cannock Chase are close behind Tamworth, while Telford and Rugby also have rates in excess of 400 cases per 100,000 people.

Elsewhere in the West Midlands, the number of cases has been fairly level over the period, with many areas seeing modest falls, including Bromsgrove, Stoke-on-Trent and Wolverhampton.