BBC Radio Stoke

Cheshire Police says it is fine to ask an officer to prove their identity - especially if they are in plain clothes.

Forces are looking to reassure people following the murder of Sarah Everard by a serving police officer in London.

Wayne Couzens used a warrant card and handcuffs to kidnap her while off duty.

The force also said it would be extremely unusual for undercover officers to work alone.

"In light of the actions of Wayne Couzens it is right that police officers expect and are tolerant of those who wish to be further reassured," it said.

"They will want to explain and reassure who they are, what they are doing and why.

"If people still feel things are not quite right or you are in imminent danger, please seek assistance.

"If that means shouting out to another member of the public, flagging a car down or even dialling 999 then do that."

BBC News Channel

A new exhibition showcasing black history aims to "challenge embedded stereotypes", organisers in Coventry said.

The Living Culture Exhibition is being held, external until 29 October at the city's WAVA Hall as part of Coventry's City of Culture events.

Organisers This is Africa said it wanted to look at African civilisation as far back as 2,000BC and honour the past while celebrating the future.

"What we think about when we talk about black history is the middle, where we look at the slavery and the messy bits," This is Africa founder Christabell Amoakoh said.

"We wanted to tell the story way before that, how Africans lived."

Usifu Jalloh is the storyteller for the event and said he believed younger black people were interested in learning about their African roots.

"Everybody is interested, young people are finding out that being grafted to any other culture is not enough, to be rooted in yourself is incredibly important," he said.

BBC Radio CWR

Politicians in Coventry and Warwickshire are being told they need to do more to keep women safe.

It comes after Sarah Everard's killer was sent to prison for life yesterday.

Chloe Fojtik is calling for more street lights in Warwickshire to be left on overnight to help people feel more secure.

Image source, Getty Images

Interest in the system, developed in Coventry, is being shown by major car manufacturers.

A CCTV image has been released of a man police wish to speak to in connection with a fire at a card shop in Shrewsbury.

Image source, West Mercia Police

West Mercia Police said some bags containing recycling waste were set alight outside the town centre Clinton's store at about 01:00 on 22 September.

The shop front sustained significant damage and had to be replaced, the force added.

Detectives have released this image of a man they wish to speak to.

"We believe the person in the CCTV image was in the area at the time and may have vital information about the incident," the force said.

Anyone with information is asked to get in touch.

The head of a Shropshire secondary school said he was spending too much time on Covid-19 testing, and not enough time teaching.

Darren Reynolds from Lacon Childe School in Cleobury Mortimer made the comments on the BBC's Question Time last night.

Image source, Google

"If we could just get on with education instead of having to administer tests for the NHS," he said.

"I spend more time at the moment working for the NHS than I do for the [Department for Education] and that's ridiculous."

The Environment Secretary George Eustace praised the work of teachers, and said it would get easier.

BBC Weather Watchers

It's rain one minute, sunshine the next today.

Image source, Dark skies over a Kidderminster pumpkin patch

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/ Neil

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/ Ken M

Image source, BBC Weather Watchers/ Les at Large

Thanks to our Weather Watchers whose photos today have been sent in from Kidderminster, Stafford, Lydbury North and Wolverhampton.

To see more, or to get involved yourself, visit the BBC Weather Watchers webpage.

Warwickshire finish off Lancashire by an innings and 199 runs to become the second winners of the Bob Willis Trophy.

Four loaded air guns have been stolen from an indoor activity centre in Hanley.

Staffordshire Police said Rage Indoor Sports was broken into at about 07:20 on Wednesday after the thieves had unplugged all the cameras.

It's thought they got in through a fire exit, as well as a door in the roof.

The centre says it was expecting £100,000 from Worcestershire County Council.

This year's Turner Prize nominees go on display in Coventry from today.

The artworks are at the Herbert Art Gallery as part of the 2021 UK City of Culture celebrations.

Among the installations that people can see are giant illuminated circles that represent the impact of Salmon farm fishing on Scotland.

Image source, David Levene

The exhibition also features paintings by a collective of neurodiverse artists based in Hastings.

Neurodiversity is defined as autistic or other neurologically atypical patterns of thought or behaviour.

BBC Radio Stoke

A Stoke-on-Trent football club is preparing for the biggest day in the club's history on Saturday in the FA Cup.

Image source, Josh Dwayne Photography

Hanley Town, who play in the ninth tier of English football, could pull off the biggest upset of the third qualifying round if they beat opponents Brackley Town.

The team from the Potteries lie a full three divisions below their Northamptonshire-based opposition Brackley.

They have also never reached this stage of the competition before and chairman Ron Mcilreavy said they had already sold more than 500 tickets for the match.

"I am hoping for a crowd of 700 plus and we probably do not even get that in a month, so it is just incredible," he said.

"When things are going right in this city or when things are going bad, people just stick together."

The game will be available to watch on the BBC iPlayer and red button, with kick-off at 12:30 on Saturday.

Ghulam Nabi, a popular and well-known bus driver, was hit by a car driven by Raihan Ahmed.

Two lanes of the M6 have been closed due to a vehicle fire near junction five.

Drivers are being warned about congestion between Coleshill and Castle Bromwich.

The street light in Solihull is struggling to illuminate its surroundings due to rampant wisteria.

Almost every part of the West Midlands has seen a rise in Covid-19 cases, according to the latest figures from Public Health England.

Rugby, Stafford and Lichfield are among the worst affected parts of England, with Herefordshire, Redditch and Nuneaton also proving hotspots.

Rugby, in Warwickshire, saw its rate of new infections rise from 569 cases per 100,000 people to 756 in the seven days up to 26 September.

Across England, only Kettering, in Northamptonshire, had a worse rate.

Image source, PA Media

Figures released this week have seen Herefordshire exceed 1,000 new cases of Covid-19 a week for the first time since the pandemic began, driven largely by outbreaks in schools.

Cannock Chase and East Staffordshire were the only local authority areas in the West Midlands to record falls in their rates of new infections in the week up to 26 September.

Herefordshire saw a 66% rise week-on-week, while Redditch, Solihull and Malvern Hills all experienced rises of more than 50%.

Like Herefordshire, Shropshire Council has said its large rise (42%) in cases was largely due to outbreaks in local schools.

Rachel Robinson, director of public health, said the council had reminded schools of measures that had proven effective in the past and extra testing facilities had been brought in.

Future Cargo is performed outdoors as part of Birmingham International Dance Festival.

The Old Wye Bridge in Hereford has reopened to traffic for the first time since July 2020.

Measures introduced last year to help with social distancing and encourage cycling and walking are being removed as the government's temporary legislation comes to an end.

The original lining and parking bays on Broad Street and Bridge Street in the city will also be reinstated.

Herefordshire Council said it had seen significant increases in walking and cycling, and that it would consider some permanent changes for the future.

BBC Radio Shropshire

Shropshire's health bosses are asking the public not to take out their grievances on NHS staff as delays for treatment continue.

There has been criticism of GPs from some patients, with some saying they can't get face-to-face appointments.

Mark Brandreth, from the Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin integrated care system, said nearly 60% of patients were being seen in person.

Image source, Getty Images

"We are absolutely not saying it is perfect, we know that," he said.

"It was not perfect before the pandemic, it is not perfect now.

"We have got about 245 GPS across our 51 practices seeing 231,000 patients per month.

"This is difficult, it is busy, there aren't enough doctors. We'd love to get more of them, but abusing our staff is not going to help with this."

BBC CWR

A social supermarket in Coventry that serves those struggling to feed their families says it is increasing stock ahead of an anticipated surge in demand.

Millions of households across the UK face higher gas and electricity bills as a new, higher energy price cap takes effect from today.

The end of the £20-a-week boost to universal credit is also due to end this month.

Cheylesmore food hub provides about 60 families with essentials such as cereal, pasta and tinned vegetables for £4 per week.

Volunteer Caroline Sinclair said: "We've found a lot of people that have been coming to us have said 'I've never had to ask for help before' and often the food bank is quite complicated - you need to get a referral, and we're just a bit more flexible.

"We're gearing up for the autumn and winter - and we hope we'll be prepared for that."