BBC Radio Stoke

A lorry driver from Crewe said it won't be easy to get overseas lorry drivers to fill the gaps created by changes to immigration in the country - even after temporary visas have been granted

The government has said soldiers will be used to driver tankers to forecourts to ensure fuel supplies are maintained, after a shortage of lorry drivers caused issues at some petrol stations.

Image source, Getty Images

Scott Austin thinks drivers will not be queueing up to come back.

"When we encouraged the European migrants to come over here in the first place and help drive for us, they could drive on national minimum wage here and they'd still be on double what they are there," he said.

"Now the countries they have come from have cottoned on and put their wages up and they've gone back because the facilities for HGV drivers on the roads aren't good [here]."

BBC Radio Shropshire

A Shropshire councillor says a holistic approach must be taken towards the lorry driver shortage.

Worfield Councillor Richard Marshall runs a haulage business with 29 drivers and said he had been struggling to recruit more.

The cost of training is huge, he said, and the lack of truck stops makes for poor working conditions.

Image source, Getty Images

"I hear in the media and government these quick fixes," he said.

"The truth is there are no quick fixes.

"It is not such an attractive prospect for a 21-year-old person."

Express and Star

Here are some of the stories on the Express & Star website:

• Angry residents call for sites to be dropped from Black Country housing plan, external
• Transport for disabled children in Sandwell 'can be pretty awful', external
• Emergency police hubs to be axed in estates shake-up, external

A man arrested on suspicion of murder in Telford has been bailed, police said.

West Mercia Police arrested the 31-year-old after a man aged 60 was found dead in New Road, Telford, at 08:00 BST on Sunday.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Gurdip Thandi

Infection rates for Covid-19 among teenagers in Walsall have risen sharply since they returned to school, councillors heard.

Image source, Getty Images

The latest figures shown to the council's scrutiny overview committee on Tuesday revealed an overall infection rate in the town of 350 cases per 100,000 people.

But the level for 11 to 16-year-olds is about 1,100 per 100,0000 people which committee member Khizar Hussain described as "worrying as a parent and for other parents in this borough".

Councillors heard a vaccination programme for all children aged 12 to 15 was due to start in schools within a week.

The trial of a man accused of murdering his wife has been put back to 2022.

Nezam Salangy, 42, of Austin Road, Bromsgrove, Worcestershire, has been charged with murdering 28-year-old Zobaidah Salangy on 29 March, last year.

Mrs Salangy's remains were found in a shallow grave in a rural area off Copyholt Lane on the outskirts of Bromsgrove on 16 October.

Mrs Salangy had disappeared, after reportedly telling family members she was going for a jog.

Image source, West Mercia Police

Mr Salangy appeared at Worcester Crown Court on Wednesday for a hearing to discuss rescheduling the trial's start date.

His younger brothers, Mohammed Yasin Salangi, 32, and Mohammed Ramin Salangy, 29, both of Adamscroft Place, Cardiff, also appeared, having previously been charged with assisting an offender.

In court, the six-week trial, due to start on October 11 was adjourned until 14 March 2022 for further reports.

Louis Osbourne will take part in a long distance triathlon for Ironman Barcelona on Sunday.

Footage of the incident in Birmingham attracted millions of views on social media.

Footage of the incident in Birmingham attracted millions of views on social media.

BBC Radio Stoke

Extra testing is being carried out in schools around Stafford after a surge in Covid-19 cases.

Staffordshire County Council said the seven-day infection rate among 11 to 18-year-olds in the Stafford Borough area was more than 3,000 per 100,000 people.

The county council is asking people in the area to take lateral flow tests twice a week and to take a PCR test if they feel unwell.

The overall infection rate for Stafford over the last seven days was 744 new cases per 100,000 people.

BBC Radio Shropshire

Shropshire Blood Bikes say they've kept their service going partly thanks to the good will of other drivers.

Volunteers at the charity courier urgent blood products to NHS hospitals across three counties.

Chris Hyde, from the charity, said some experiences on the forecourts have been heart-warming.

BBC Radio CWR

Panic buying of fuel has started to ease after several days of supply issues, according to the manager of one independent petrol station in Coventry.

Image source, Paul Cheema

Paul Cheema runs a forecourt in Tile Hill and said demand has started to decline and he expects his site not to run out of fuel in the coming days.

However he said they have kept a limit of £15 per driver and refuse to fill jerry cans.

"We have had a couple of kick offs already this morning because we are refusing jerry cans and then you get the foul-mouthed behaviour which is not acceptable," he said.

Wolves defender Yerson Mosquera is ruled out for up to five months after sustaining a hamstring injury that requires surgery.

We told you yesterday about a witness appeal after a 26-year-old woman was seriously assaulted in Birmingham's Gay Village.

West Midlands Police appealed for help in identifying two women they believe may have witnessed the attack.

The force has now released a clearer image of the two women, external - reminding the public they are not suspects, but could be "important witnesses".

Image source, West Midlands Police

The woman was assaulted near The Village Inn on Hurst Street in the early hours of 16 September.

It's thought one of the women pictured may have gone to the victim's aid and detectives believe she may have vital information about the assailants.

Three men arrested in connection with the assault have been bailed with strict conditions while investigations continue, police said.

Nationally, wildlife trusts are hoping to restore 30% of the UK's land and sea habitats.

A man who died after suffering serious head injuries at a house in West Yorkshire has been named by police.

Image source, Google

Simon Hailes, 40, was injured at a property on Dark Lane in Pontefract in the early hours of Saturday 18 September.

Mr Hailes, from Worcestershire, was taken to Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield but died a week later from his injuries, say West Yorkshire Police.

Two people have been arrested on suspicion of assault in connection with the incident on Dark Lane.

Det Insp Phil Davis said: “Mr Hailes has sadly lost his life a week after being admitted to hospital and we are investigating to establish the circumstances that have led up to his death.

“We are keen to speak to anyone who may have any information which could help our ongoing enquiries.”

First responder Jordan Adkins says the victim's blood loss could have been "devastating".

BBC Weather Watchers

The BBC Weather Watchers have been up and about enjoying the early morning weather.

Rainbows have been spotted in Sutton Coldfield by JohnFrosty and in Hednesford by Angus and me.

Image source, JohnFrosty

Image source, Angus and me

While Jilla captured this gorgeous lake landscape in Ellesmere.

Share your weather photos here.

Image source, JILLA

With the county season almost finished for 2021, who did BBC Sport users choose as their best Championship XI?

Two lanes of a motorway have been closed due to a collision.

The closure is in place on the M6 between junction three for Nuneaton and junction two for Coventry.