Allen Cook
BBC News

A partial human skull found by a river in Warwickshire dates back to the Medieval period, police have said.

Image source, Warwickshire Police

Carbon dating tests have been carried out on the bone fragment which a member of the public discovered in Barford, near Warwick, in May.

Warwickshire Police said, external the results confirmed the skull dated back to 960-1150AD.

The force said families connected to ongoing investigations have been told and the skull will now be used for training in forensics.

BBC CWR

Huge debts due to the coronavirus lockdown have forced a go-karting centre to close for good.

Image source, Google

The owners of Mr Karting, based in Leamington Spa, posted on its website , externalsaying they couldn't afford the lease and other costs associated with the premises.

In a statement, the firm said reopening under Covid-19 restrictions wouldn't have been affordable and the closure was "not one that has been taken lightly".

Formula 2 driver Jordan King told BBC CWR he started his career at Mr Karting and it would be much missed as a good stepping stone into motorsport.

"You can go along relatively cheaply and start driving and get used to it, have a bit of fun and anyone can do it as well from old to young so it really is that first stepping stone on to a bigger pyramid,"he said.

BBC CWR

Three pubs in the Warwickshire village of Brinklow are reopening today after being shut following the news a customer had tested positive for coronavirus.

Image source, Google

The three - The Raven, The White Lion and The Bulls Head, external - have all been deep cleaned after the discovery earlier this week., external

The management of The Raven posted on its Facebook page and said all their staff had been tested for Covid-19 and the results had come back negative., external

A man sped off from police the wrong way along the hard shoulder of a motorway at 100mph before abandoning his car and trying to run away, Warwickshire Police said., external

Image source, Google

The 38-year-old, from Tipton, was initially pulled over on suspicion of committing a traffic offence on the M40 yesterday afternoon, the force said.

As officers spoke to him on the hard shoulder, he drove off, hit a police car and then fled through Warwick Services at 90mph before turning on to the hard shoulder.

He was caught after he fled on foot and arrested for several offences including suspicion of dangerous driving and assaulting a police officer.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A motorcyclist has died and a woman's in a critical condition in hospital after a crash in Coventry this morning.

Image source, Google

The pair were believed to be on the bike on Coundon Road when it lost control near the level crossing, came off the road and hit a parked car and a lamppost, West Midlands Police said. , external

Bystanders gave the man who was riding the bike CPR before paramedic arrived, but the ambulance service said, , externalnothing could be done and he died at the scene.

The woman was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

A man's been arrested after a police officer was allegedly headbutted in Rugby.

Warwickshire Police said, external the officer had responded to a call about a man being abusive to customers at a betting shop in Church Street yesterday.

The 58-year-old, from Rugby, was arrested on suspicion of assaulting a police officer and being drunk and disorderly.

BBC CWR

A road's shut this morning after a crash involving a motorbike in Coventry.

The ambulance service said it was called just after 06:30 and sent four ambulances and a car to Barker Butts Lane, near the level crossing.

The road is expected to stay closed for some time, West Midlands Police tweeted., external

There have been nine cases of coronavirus confirmed at the Arena Park Tesco in Coventry and the building has undergone deep cleaning to make it safe.

Coventry City Council said the people affected were all self-isolating.

Staff who have been in working with them are being tested and public health teams are tracing others who may have recently come into contact with them.

Image source, Google

Store manager Jamie Tonks said his team were "engaging with public health authorities" and taking, "all the relevant precautions".

Liz Gaulton, Director of Public Health for Coventry, said the city had seen "a gradual rise in numbers of Covi-19 cases" and this was a "timely reminder that this pandemic is not over".

BBC Weather Watchers

It seems the weather is giving us a little bit of everything today, as you can see from these photos shared by the BBC Weather Watchers.

They were taken in the Bromsgrove, Warwick and Gnosall areas.

Image source, Hedgehog

Image source, SteveC

Image source, Neil

Coventry Live

Here are three stories from the Coventry Live website today:

• Staff at Tesco store test positive for coronavirus, external
• Fresh bid to save Rolls Royce jobs, external
• Temporary GP practice to open, external

BBC CWR

A number of staff at the biggest Tesco store in Coventry have tested positive for coronavirus.

Image source, Google

The supermarket said it was a small number at the shop at the Arena Park Shopping Centre but didn't reveal the exact figure.

Public Health England is advising and "all the relevant precautions" are being taken, the firm added.

BBC Sport

Hockey in England has an issue with "endemic racism" and not enough is being done by the governing body to tackle it, according to several clubs.

Image source, Getty Images

Eight clubs, including ones in the West Midlands, have signed a letter accusing England Hockey of presiding over a system that is "biased" against ethnic minority players.

"It is out of touch with modern-day Britain," wrote Barford Tigers Hockey Club chairman Gurmej Singh Pawar.

England Hockey said it wants the sport to be "a force for good in diversity".

The clubs include Barford Tigers, Birmingham and Sikh Union Coventry.

It follows the death of a five-year-old boy four months after the blaze in November 2018.

Coventry's economy will benefit from a "ripple effect" from government funding, the city's cabinet member for regeneration has said.

The project set up to help businesses bounce back from coronavirus is giving £6m towards Coventry City of Culture, £1.8m to the Very Light Rail project and £3.9m towards improving facilities at the Ricoh Arena.

Councillor Jim O'Boyle said the money was important because the city faced some "choppy economic waters" amid the pandemic.

Eight business projects in the West Midlands will share £66m of government funding intended to get the economy up and running after coronavirus.

One of the biggest beneficiaries is the National Brownfield Land Institute at the University of Wolverhampton, which will get £14.9m to "research and develop new construction methods and ways of regenerating contaminated land".

Image source, WMCA

The Getting Building Fund is for schemes that can start within the next 18 months.

The West Midands Combined Authority says the money will create about 2,110 jobs and the projects involved will support 1,419 construction jobs.

The other awards are:

• £15.1m towards the redevelopment of University Station in Edgbaston
• £1m towards WM5G’s work with business to develop apps
• £10.8m for 'innovation spaces' and laboratories at the Birmingham Health Innovation Campus
• £12.4m for the Very Light Rail Innovation Centre in Dudley
• £6m towards Coventry City of Culture
• £1,8m for Coventry’s Very Light Rail project
• £3.9m towards improved facilities at the Ricoh Arena

An attempt by Jaguar Land Rover to trademark the shape of the Defender has been rejected by the High Court.

The UK Intellectual Property Office refused the applications last year after an official decided that the shapes of the Defender 90 and 110 lacked "distinctiveness".

The High Court had been asked to rule on an appeal by JLR.

Image source, Jaguar Land Rover

The firm stopped making the defender in 2016 and has since announced plans to make a replacement.

But a rival company, Ineos Automotive, has said it plans to make a similar vehicle "inspired" by the classic design at a factory in Bridgend.

Coventry Live

From the Coventry Telegraph:

• 'Sick' thieves steal ornament from mum's grave, external
• Council binmen urinated on man’s fence, external
• Council complaints rise to second highest on record, external

They were found to be regularly relieving themselves on the same resident's fence and bush.

Allen Cook
BBC News

The UK’s first city bicycle mayor is urging Warwickshire County Council to be more ambitious as it bids for government funding for new cycling and walking schemes.

Image source, Adam Tranter

Adam Tranter is Coventry’s bicycle mayor and has written to Warwickshire County Council, external saying he's concerned the local authority won't get as much money from ministers as it could.

The government is offering £180m to councils for long-term schemes to get more people cycling and walking after the coronavirus lockdown, external.

But Mr Tranter says he feared the county council's "lack of ambition" would see other local authorities get a bigger share of the cash.

Warwickshire County Council has been approached for a response.

Cafe, pub and restaurant owners across the West Midlands have told the BBC they are hoping the new Eat Out To Help Out scheme does encourage more customers to enjoy a meal out.

Image source, EPA

Diners can now get up to 50% off their bill under the government initiative which runs all day Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday from 3 to 31 August across the UK.

Darren Dunn from Heavenly Desserts in Coventry said he hoped the benefits extended beyond this month.

"It's not only putting money in our tills now and allowing us to continue to operate at the levels we are operating at but it also means down the line we've gained new customers we might not have without this incentive."

While Ann Ager, from the Bakehouse Cafe, Stafford, said staff had seen trade fall off last week after a Covid-19 outbreak in nearby Stone.

"We're hoping this week people will overcome their nervousness and appreciate most establishments if not all establishments are now safe."