The 2016/17 budget for West Midlands Fire and Rescue service has been approved today.   

A local campaigner has voiced opposition to plans to close three Warwickshire libraries to the public on Sundays.

The libraries concerned are Leamington, Rugby and Nuneaton.   

Some 63 students from Grace Academy in Coventry have had their spine-chilling stories accepted for publication in a Young Writers competition. 

Image source, Grace Academy

Year 7 students Victoria Gurung and Tamzin James wrote a joint story for the competition. Victoria says: “The name of our short story was ‘Hell-Bound’. Somebody went into the forest, she gets lost and hears something rustling in the bush. 

"Something drops out of the bush, a creepy little hand, it drags her into the ground, there’s a lair and she’s stuck there for the rest of her life.”

Travellers in Nuneaton are being alerted to Stagecoach route diversions for the next five nights.  

Motorists in the Rugby and Dunchurch areas are told to be wary of being flagged-down, external by drivers claiming to have run out of fuel or are low on fuel.   

Warwickshire police says a number of incidents have been reported over the past six months, centred around the M45, the A5 and the surrounding areas.   

The group typically flag down passing motorists, tell them a hard-luck story and explain their car is out of petrol in order to elicit cash from their victims.  

Nuneaton News

An award-winning visitor attraction has built a new enclosure to protect some of the world's most endangered animals., external

Image source, Nuneaton News

Some of the stories we're looking at in the newsroom this morning include:

- A Warwickshire mother says she's concerned her mentally-ill daughter had to be treated 100 miles away in Manchester

- A Coventry woman thought to have been abducted has turned up safe and well  

- Coventry City Council is searching for new parking spaces as part of Cox Street car park is to be built on

A Warwickshire mother whose daughter had to go to Manchester for mental health treatment in a secure unit claims the service is struggling to cope.

The 16-year-old patient had "an acute psychotic episode" and was treated more than 100 miles away from her home. 

The mother's comments come at the same time a report, external - by a taskforce set up by NHS England - says too many people are getting no help or inadequate care.  

Coventry Telegraph

A mum says she’s heartbroken after her homeless son, Luke O’Donnell, , externaldied of hypothermia after he was found collapsed on a bench.

Image source, Coventry Telegraph

Coventry City Council is distancing itself from the contents of a council report that put a question mark over the future of the city's White Street coach station. 

In a council agenda paper, external it was suggested that turning the site into a car park could offset the loss of parking spaces when student accommodation is built on the car park at Cox Street.

After concerns were voiced about the remark the council has now said it has no intention of closing White Street or taking any of its land for car parking at this stage.

Lady Godiva welcomes in a bright Monday morning in Coventry.   

It's a Sky Blue Monday! Don't forget you can tweet @BBCCovWarks, external with your great photos of Coventry and Warwickshire.

Andrew Bowman at BBC Coventry and Warwickshire took this as he walked into work this morning. Looks lovely out there but brrrrrr - it's cold.

Stephanie Barnard
BBC Local Live

The top stories for Coventry and Warwickshire this morning include:

- A woman, who was thought to have been abducted from a Coventry street, has been located safe and well

- The opening of William Shakespeare's former home in Statford-upon-Avon is set to be one of the highlights of anniversary celebrations

- The Sky Blues biggest home win since 1963 was down to the hard work of the forwards according to midfielder John Fleck

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

A woman, who was thought to have been abducted from a Coventry street, has been found safe and well.

A major investigation was launched after a woman was seen to be forced into a car on Foleshill Road on Friday by four men. 

Following a large-scale search for the woman she voluntarily attended a police station in London yesterday evening, where she told officers that she was unharmed and had not been abducted.

BBC Sport

What a win for Sky Blues on Saturday. It was their biggest home win since 1963.  

Coventry now end a run of five League One games without a win by thrashing Bury in a six-goal rout at the Ricoh Arena. 

Image source, Empics

John Fleck (pictured left) was given time to score the fourth before half-time with a low shot past goalkeeper Ian Lawlor.  

It will be a cold start today with a hard frost, perhaps with isolated wintry showers in the east at first. 

There will be plenty of sunny spells through the day, especially towards the west. Feeling cold with highs of 6C (43F).

BBC Travel

There's heavy traffic on the A46 southbound in Binley Woods between the A428 Rugby Road junction and Tollbar Island in the road works area.

Plus. there are delays on M42 the southbound between J10, A5 (Tamworth) and J9, M6 Toll (Curdworth).

Hello and welcome to Monday's live updates for Coventry and Warwickshire. We'll bring you the latest news, sport, travel and weather throughout the day.