BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester

A group of campaigners have demonstrated outside the Welsh Parliament to protest about the amount of pollution in the River Wye.

They carried a cardboard coffin, which wild swimmer Angela Jones has been dragging along the length of the river to draw attention to the issue.

They are calling on the Senedd to take tougher action.

The campaigners say phosphourous levels in the water are rising because of the number of chickens being reared in farms near the river in Herefordshire and Powys.

The phosphourous then creates the perfect conditions for algae to grow, turning the river green and making it hard for other wildlife to thrive.

In December, Natural Resources Wales found more than half of the Wye was failing to meet pollution targets.

A spokesperson for the Environment Agency said keeping rivers clean was "an absolute priority".

Police have seized illegal tobacco with an estimated value of £10,000 from two premises in Worcester city centre.

Image source, West Mercia Police

West Mercia Police worked with the county council trading standards team on the operation on Monday, which they said involved businesses as part of an ongoing investigation.

PC Susan Parr, of the force, said: "Working with specially-trained search dogs, seizures were made at two premises, where there have been previous seizures of illegal tobacco, significant intelligence reports and test purchases."

Councillor Matt Dormer added illicit tobacco could impact communities by reducing the takings of honest businesses, while the availability of cheap products created a health risk for young people.

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC Radio WM

A protest is being held in Birmingham over issues with school transport for children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).

Some parents have described having to miss work in order to take their children to school after experiencing problems with a new contractor.

One of the firms that had previously transported children with special needs had its contract terminated over safeguarding concerns.

New transport provider HATS said it was "straining every sinew" to get the service that children and parents expect and deserve.

The council apologised to parents whose transport had been disrupted, but said the problems were down to the "nature of the handover" from the previous contractor.

This year's contestants in the Great British Bake Off have been announced.

They include a police detective, a retired midwife and a software developer.

Among the 12 bakers is Rochica. The 27-year-old Brummie turned to baking when she was left unable to dance due to an injury.

Image source, Channel 4

The junior HR business partner said her weakness was "getting flustered and everything going wrong".

Prue Leith, one of the judges, says the standard of baking is the highest she's ever encountered.

Callum Baker-Osborne's family says there should be "a lot more" warning of potential dangers.

Following a police raid in Birmingham, the 21-year-old has appeared before city magistrates.

BBC Midlands Today

More than 1,300 knives, machetes and other dangerous weapons have been surrendered to West Midlands Police over the last six months.

They've been placed in 20 secure collection bins deployed as part of a strategy to help get weapons off the streets.

Three handguns have also been handed over during the amnesty, says the force area's police and crime commissioner.

Knife crime has more than doubled in the West Midlands since 2012 and is a problem across the country, he explained.

"Every weapon that is deposited into these bins is potentially saving a life," said Simon Foster.

“With this number of weapons collected in such a short period of time, clearly these bins are working by taking dangerous items off our streets."

The third day's play in the County Championship Division One clash between Yorkshire and Warwickshire is rained off in Leeds.

Nine different players scored to help the club achieve its biggest margin of victory.

Two teenagers have been arrested over a stabbing, after a police dog "tracked for half a mile" to a suspect's door, the West Midlands force said, external.

A 30-year-old man, who had multiple knife wounds, was in hospital in a serious condition following disorder in Stockwell Road, Handsworth, Birmingham, at about 03:00 on Tuesday.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Three-year-old German Shepherd Police Dog Viper followed a scent over several streets into a road where a 14-year-old was arrested from an address on suspicion of involvement in the disorder.

He was found with injuries and taken to hospital for treatment.

The teenager and a 15-year-old boy, who had suffered injuries and was taken to hospital, have been arrested on suspicion of wounding.

Det Sgt Marc Petford said: "The dog did a brilliant job at the scene to pick up a scent and follow it over a considerable distance to an address about half a mile away where we made an arrest."

The man's injuries were not deemed life-threatening, police said.

BBC Radio Shropshire

A bridge that fell into the River Perry in Shropshire seven years ago won't be replaced until at least next year, because of a long-running legal dispute.

The Adcote Mill Bridge which carried a bridleway across the river, near Baschurch, is due to be replaced by a metal structure, and Shropshire Council was due to start work last month.

But there have been lengthy discussions over how the replacement should be carried out, with disputes over the cost and the materials used.

And the council says it will now have to take legal action because of an issue over access to the site, in the hope of starting work next summer.

Ethan, seven, was sent postcards from people across the world after losing the bunny on a Devon bus.

BBC Radio Shropshire

A small explosion on High Street in Bridgnorth is believed to have been caused by an electrical fault, West Mercia Police says.

Initially it was thought to have been a gas explosion.

Nearby homes were evacuated and the street was closed shortly after 09:25 and an investigation launched by Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service, with the support of gas and electricity officials.

Image source, Andrew Corfield

A woman who was parking her car nearby, Emma Truscott, said she heard a "loud bang" and told BBC Radio Shropshire: "I thought something had come down from the roof or something."

She reported seeing part of the pavement lift up, cracking bricks.

Steve Jagielka played more than 170 times for Shrewsbury Town between 1997 and 2003.

Birmingham Live

Some of the Birmingham Live headlines today include:

• Lee Martin manhunt enters day nine as 'cops search Northfield area', external
• Huge haul of knives and guns surrendered to police helping to 'save lives', external
• Minister to investigate plight of businessman whose land was seized by HS2, external

The Coventry businessman says leaving his children behind in Afghanistan is "unimaginable".

A weather warning for heavy rainfall has been updated, with downpours now expected to only affect the eastern parts of the region.

Image source, Met Office

The rain could bring travel disruption and localised flooding until 21:00, says the Met Office.

A Sainsbury's store in Stoke-on-Trent is set to close, the company has announced.

Image source, Google

The supermarket and petrol filling station on Etruria Road, Hanley, is due to close early next year.

The company said it was doing everything it could to find alternative roles within Sainsbury's for affected staff.

"Customers can continue to shop with us at our nearby store," said the company in a statement.

In 2019, Sainsbury's announced it would close up to 15 supermarkets over two years, while opening 10 new ones over the next five years.

The decision to close the Etruria Road store was based on a "range of factors," Sainsbury's said.

Former conjoined twins from Birmingham have launched a fundraiser for the children's hospital that carried out surgery to separate them.

Image source, The Mowatt Family

The operation on three-month-old Sanchia and Eman Mowatt took place at Birmingham Children's Hospital in 2001 - the first time such a procedure had been carried out in the UK.

The pair celebrated their 20th birthday yesterday and, along with sister Damaris, 19, have embarked on a fundraising scheme aiming to raise £10,000 by December.

Image source, The Mowatt Family

"We left the children's part of the NHS two years ago now, but we didn't get to say goodbye because of the pandemic, so we were 'how are we going to say thank you'? So then we came up with fundraising," said Eman.

The sisters have been holding online "singathons" to help raise money for the physiotherapy and the urology departments.

Mobile recycling centres recently launched in Birmingham have collected more than 118 tonnes of waste.

Image source, Birmingham City Council

Two of four planned projects have been operating since mid-July and comprise three vehicles - one for recycling, another for items for landfill and a van for furniture.

Rubbish collected includes 5.5 tonnes of paper and card as well as 2.7 tonnes of textiles, said the city council.