A man has appeared in court via video link charged with manslaughter over the death of a pensioner.

Ashley Sumner, of Berwyn View, Ellesmere, is accused of killing 80-year-old John Bathers in north Shropshire on 6 September.

The 31-year-old faces further allegations of taking a vehicle without consent and driving other than in accordance with a licence.

During the appearance at Stafford Crown Court on Monday, Judge Kristina Montgomery QC remanded Mr Sumner in custody to reappear at the same court for a plea hearing on 19 October.

The race in Shrewsbury on Sunday was held for the first time in 18 months, following the pandemic.

BBC Radio CWR

A school chef who is in the running to win a national contest said he wanted to show that children's views must be at the forefront of school meals.

Lee Taylor, from John Gulson Primary, Coventry, is among 11 school chefs from across England competing for the award.

Run by food delivery firm LACA, , externalthey will compete over two days, starting on Tuesday, to try to become School Chef of the Year.

Mr Taylor said the school's catering team was also up for an award and they all love to get good reactions from their pupils to their food.

He said: "You have to look at what the kids say. We are child inspired, all our menus are. If we cannot inspire a child to eat our food, what is the point?"

National Highways says the work will improve signs and road markings along the A49 in Shropshire.

Telford's Liam Davies says the atmosphere in Birmingham was "unreal" during his points win over Dixon Flores.

A derelict house, left empty for more than 13 years in Staffordshire, is to be auctioned.

Image source, Stafford Borough Council

The owner of the three-bedroom property on Tixall Road property died in 2013 and Stafford Borough Council said it had been unable to trace any next of kin.

A compulsory purchase order, allowing the local authority to take control of the house was issued.

It will be now sold at an auction next month with a reserved price of £99,000, with a condition of the sale that the buyer brings it back into use within a set timeframe.

Covid-19 rates across the West Midlands show a mixed picture.

England was the first nation in Europe to remove widespread restrictions in July and today it has one of the highest infection rates.

Areas such as Nuneaton, Cannock Chase, Stratford upon Avon and Lichfield remain some of the worst affected areas of England.

Almost two thirds of all local authority areas in the West Midlands saw rises in their Covid-19 rates in the seven days up to and including 6 October.

In Wyre Forest and Bromsgrove, the rate rose almost 30% to more than 520 new cases per 100,000 people.

However there were also large falls, with Rugby, only last week listed as the second worst affected part of England, seeing a fall of 34% week-on-week.

Herefordshire, which last week recorded its highest case numbers since the pandemic began, saw its rate drop from 625 new infections per 100,000 people to 482.

Worcester, Malvern Hills and Birmingham (the most populated local authority area in England) all recorded some of the lowest rates in England, with fewer than 260 new cases per 100,000 people.

Close to Worcester and Malvern Hills, Tewkesbury, in Gloucestershire recorded the lowest rate of all in England.

Crucially there has also been no huge surge in hospital admissions, with 1,008 beds in the wider Midlands occupied by Covid-19 patients in the week up to 8 October - up slightly from 930 a week earlier, but fewer beds than a month ago.

Work on the £3.6m project aimed at improving traffic flow in Shifnal is already under way.

Express and Star

A few of the early headlines from the Express and Star today:

• Comments, catcalling and creeps: Wolverhampton women on why they won't walk home alone, external
• Last chance to block green belt plans as consultation closes, external
• Fresh plans submitted for delayed homes complex in Walsall, external

Police are continuing to search for a rapist who attacked a woman in Sutton Coldfield.

It happened on parkland behind Princess Alice Retail Park on 3 October.

Officers handed out leaflets to nearby shoppers and patrolled the area on Sunday.

The force previously said it believed the culprit was seen in the area days and possibly weeks before the victim was attacked.

The rapist was described as a white man with a Birmingham accent, aged between 20 and 35, with a medium to stocky build and "extra broad" around the shoulders. He was wearing a grey tracksuit and black trainers.

An investigation has been launched into the death of an asylum seeker found at a mental health facility.

Image source, Family photo

Henok Zaid Gebrsslasie, 23, died at the Caludon Centre in Coventry in August.

A charity is calling for a government investigation into the case and other similar deaths among young asylum seekers.

The Coventry and Warwickshire Partnership NHS Trust, which runs the Caludon Centre, said: "We would like to express our deepest sadness for the incident that occurred on one of our inpatient wards earlier this year."

A consultation on plans to build thousands of new homes in the Black Country ends today.

The Black Country Plan, external stretches across Sandwell, Dudley, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Schemes such as those to build 600 homes on green belt land in Walsall have angered some residents

An online petition against the houses planned for next to the arboretum has more than 1,700 signatures.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

It will be a dry and bright day with some cloud later and highs of 16°C (61°F).

Welcome to our live service for Monday.

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, external and Facebook, external.