Summary

  • Updates on Friday 29 October

  1. Lorry crash leads to M5 closurepublished at 12:33 British Summer Time 30 October 2021

    The collision has also damaged a lamppost which could fall onto the motorway, police say.

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  2. Spiking victim felt she was not taken seriouslypublished at 07:21 British Summer Time 30 October 2021

    Polly Sutherland still feels unsafe after being spiked five years ago at a university nightclub.

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  3. The teenager making films fun for deaf childrenpublished at 00:56 British Summer Time 30 October 2021

    Mariella, 17, made an app during lockdown that's helping some kids enjoy films for the first time.

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  4. Suspect's Sikh headwear 'not stamped on' by policepublished at 21:08 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    A watchdog says it understands the incident has caused "understandable unrest" but calls for calm.

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  5. Man charged over fatal assault of 74-year-oldpublished at 18:55 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    Richard Barbeary was found injured in a Coventry street last November and died in hospital.

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  6. Woman with Down's to fight court abortion rulingpublished at 18:38 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    Heidi Crowter says her failed bid to change the law made her feel "people didn't want me in the world".

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  7. Our coverage across the weekpublished at 18:19 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    Midlands Live returns from 08:00 on Monday. Have pleasant weekends.

  8. Further appeal over shooting of two boys, 13published at 17:54 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    Police have made a further appeal for information after two 13-year-old boys were shot in Stoke-on-Trent.

    Staffordshire Police said it happened close to garages on Borrowdale Road near Spragg House Lane in Norton at about 22:05 BST on Wednesday.

    Det Supt Tom Chisolm said the boys entered the areas of the garages when the weapon, believed to be a shotgun, or a weapon capable of firing shotgun cartridges, was fired at them.

    He appealed for anyone with information, CCTV, or dash cam footage from the area at the time of the incident to come forward.

    "This is really concerning and we don't want these types of things to happen in Staffordshire," he added.

    Both boys sustained injuries consistent with those associated with the suspected weapon. They are not thought to have been seriously hurt.

  9. 'Unexplained' deaths probed at Redditch homepublished at 17:30 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    The unnamed man and woman had been dead for several weeks by the time they were discovered, say police.

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  10. Woman stabbed 24 times touched to receive bleed kitpublished at 16:16 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    A woman who was stabbed 24 times while heavily pregnant in 2016 said it felt "emotional" to receive a bleed control kit.

    Natalie Queiroz

    Natalie Queiroz, from Sutton Coldfield, received the kit from the Daniel Baird Foundation, set up by his mum, Lynne Baird, after he was fatally stabbed in Birmingham in 2017.

    The charity has now delivered specialist first aid kits to more than 1,000 venues across the UK, which were developed to try to reduce deaths from violence.

    "I'm quite emotional, because I know what these kits can do," Ms Queiroz said. "Because the guidance that's in here is exactly what was put towards saving my own life."

  11. Final two Labour Councillors in Solihull defectpublished at 15:45 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    The last two remaining Labour Councillors in Solihull have defected, meaning the party is now without any representation in the borough for the first time since its creation in 1974.

    Councillor Marcus Brain who is leaving to join the Green Party said the party had "lost sight of its core values".

    Councillors Marcus Brain and David ColeImage source, Solihull Council

    The former leader of the Labour group Councillor David Cole has joined the ruling Conservatives.

    Both councillors represent the Kingshurst and Fordbridge wards in the north of the borough.

    Mr Cole said he was leaving because by working with the council leadership, Metro Mayor Andy Street and local MP Saqib Bhatti, who are all Conservatives, he could achieve more for the people of Kingshurst.

    In response, Sam Mather, the chair of the Solihull and Meridan Labour Party said: “This is a slap in the face of everyone who voted for them under a Labour Party banner, the people of Kingshurst and Fordbridge voted for a Labour representative and now will not receive that.

    "I believe that that these two councillors should both now immediately stand for re-election under their new party’s name to allow the people a choice in who represents them and prevent the people of Kingshurst and Fordbridge being misled.”

  12. Traffic lights in place during water main repairspublished at 15:23 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    Temporary three-way traffic lights are to be put in place at a Tipton junction following a burst water main.

    The lights will be in place at the junction of High Street and Upper Church Lane while South Staffordshire Water workers repair the pipe.

    Picture showing the scene of the burst mainImage source, South Staffordshire Water
  13. Horse rescued from streampublished at 15:07 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    A horse that got trapped in water was rescued by firefighters in Herefordshire.

    Crews from Ross-on-Wye and Bromyard were called to Llangarron on Thursday afternoon to help free the horse which was stuck in deep water with steep banks on either side.

    The horse resuceImage source, Bromyard Fire Station

    They cut away over hanging branches before the horse could be turned around and led to a place of safety where it was able to get itself up the bank and out of the water, Bromyard Fire Station said.

    The horse rescueImage source, Bromyard Fire Station
  14. MAFS star gets hundreds of abusive messagespublished at 14:41 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    A Stoke-on-Trent reality TV star said she received hundreds of abusive messages on social media after her episodes aired.

    Megan Wolfe, 26, from Packmoor, appeared in this year's Married at First Sight UK on Channel 4.

    Megan WolfeImage source, Getty Images

    "When you apply for a TV show, you know you're putting yourself out for the good, the bad, all of it," she said, "But I really wasn't prepared for the amount of abuse I received when the show aired.

    "At the peak of it I was receiving between 100 and 200 messages a day... it was not what I was expecting.

    "Some people went out of their way to send me five-page emails about why I shouldn't be alive," she said, adding that she had "never cried so much in my whole life".

  15. Crewe to bid for city status under Jubilee planspublished at 14:11 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    Crewe mayor Tom Dunlop says he is "absolutely confident" in the town’s chances in 2022.

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  16. Organisers apologise for delay to Disney on Ice showpublished at 13:54 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    Organisers have apologised after long queues meant a much-anticipated showing of Disney on Ice in Birmingham had to be delayed.

    Disney on IceImage source, Getty Images

    Resorts World Birmingham said it was enforcing more rigorous Covid safety checks which were adding to admission times.

    However it did admit that Thursday's queues were "unacceptable" and apologised to customers who had been inconvenienced.

    "Further communications have since been emailed to ticket buyers for all performances this weekend, as a reminder of the checks and our bag policy," a spokesperson said.

  17. Barns blaze 'started accidentally'published at 13:34 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    A fire that spread across three barns storing straw, potatoes and machinery is believed to have been started accidentally, investigators say.

    The barn on fireImage source, Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service

    Firefighters from Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service were called to the blaze in Longdon upon Tern, near Rodington, on Thursday.

    The farm's owners and staff used their machinery to help move debris and allow the crews to do their job tackling the flames.

    "We carried out a full fire investigation and found the incident was caused by a fire the staff were using to burn wood from the land," fire investigation officer Scott Bishop said.

    "This had gotten out of control and spread to the nearby crates due to the strong winds, and then continued to spread to the buildings."

  18. Prime minister 'delighted' with Sikh memorialpublished at 13:03 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    The prime minister has written to Wolverhampton's Sikh community to say he was "delighted" with a statue tribute to the Battle of Saragarhi that was unveiled in September.

    The statueImage source, City of Wolverhampton Council

    The 3m (10ft) tall sculpture, by artist Luke Perry, was placed in Wednesfield, to commemorate the battle, considered by some military historians as one of history's great last-stands.

    Boris Johnson said the "extraordinary story" deserved "wider recognition".

    His letter was delivered to the Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara in Wednesfield by MP Jane Stevenson, where it will be framed and displayed.

    Quote Message

    This statue will stand as a lasting memorial to the outstanding bravery of those who died at the Battle of Saragarhi – and it will act as a permanent reminder of the enormous contribution that Sikh soldiers have made to Britain throughout the generations

    Boris Johnson, Prime Minister

  19. Bridge safe after lorry strikepublished at 12:26 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    A bridge in Worcestershire has been declared safe after being hit by a lorry.

    Network Rail says there may still be some issues on the line through Bromsgrove as services resume after the checks in Stoke Prior.

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  20. Half-a-million homes to get broadband boostpublished at 12:22 British Summer Time 29 October 2021

    The government aims to plug rural areas into the most "reliable connections available".

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