Coventry Live

These are some of the Coventry Live headlines:

• Coventry getting new city centre drive-thru coronavirus testing unit, external
• Jailed rapper using police mugshot to promote drill music from behind bars, external
• Warning after ‘slight increase’ in Covid-19 cases after lockdown easing, external

This shot of a spud getting its haircut earned a photography lecturer a top award.

Ray Spence is 2020's potato photographer of the year after he entered his shot in a competition set up to raise money for the Trusell Trust, external.

Image source, Ray Spence

Titled 'The end of lockdown', Mr Spence said the idea came while he was chitting his potato crop at his allotment in Warwick.

The judging panel, which included celebrated photographers Martin Parr and Paul Hill, recognised Mr Spence's photo as "delightful, imaginative and .... a bit bonkers".

Like his subject, Mr Spence has been able to get to the barber since lockdown eased however his muse has "since been disposed of in the compost".

John Bray
BBC News

A war veteran who was sent to Malaya in 1949 has finally received his military campaign medal - in time for his 90th birthday.

The Malayan Emergency, as it became known, was a bitter conflict against communist extremists.

Norton Breen spent two years fighting with the King's Own Yorkshire Light Infantry.

His brother Keith also served in Malaya, but only one of them received a medal on their return to the North East.

Norton has lived in Bedworth, Warwickshire, since the mid-1960s, and his family enlisted the help of a veterans' group on Facebook to apply for the medal, which arrived during lockdown last month.

Malaya war veteran receives campaign medal as 90th birthday surprise.

Phillip Blackwell, who admitted 31 sex offences, taped some victims' eyes shut.

One woman said she would finally get "some kind of peace" after Phillip Blackwell was jailed.

Two large public gatherings have been broken up by police in the West Midlands due to breaking Covid-19 laws.

About 200 people had gathered on Lillington Road, Coventry, and more than 100 on the park off Highfield Lane, Birmingham, on Friday night, the region's police force said. , external

Both were broken up after residents had raised concerns with officers.

Coventry Live

The Coventry Live website has these headlines today:

• Inspirational film charting Coventry's history launches new City of Culture brand, external
• Coventry City owner calls for all parties to come clean over Ricoh Arena talks, external
• Coventry University expansion plans set for the green light, external

Coventry City reject Wasps' claims they withdrew from negotiations to play home games at the Ricoh Arena next season.

Mark Lerigo, 49, from Coventry had an iPad containing the most serious abuse pictures of children.

Food, furniture and bedding has been handed out by a school in Warwickshire to struggling families in the area.

Siobhan Evans, Principal at Ashlawn School in Hillmorton, Rugby, said it had been "overwhelmed by the generosity of our staff, parents and neighbours".

Image source, Google

She said the school had "a really caring community" and had "received so many donations we have started to work in partnership with other schools in our trust".

Labour councillor Jim Ellis told a full council meeting redundancies and bereavement in the wake of coronavirus had hit parts of the community not normally associated with hardship - places like Hillmorton - the Local Democracy Reporting Service reported.

BBC Weather Watchers

Plenty of sunshine around today and our local BBC Weather Watchers have been making the most of it.

Here are three of their photos from users OgySnaps in Warwick, Caraman On Tour in Dudley and Snow Crystals in Newcastle under Lyme, Staffordshire:

Image source, OgySnaps

Image source, Caraman On Tour

Image source, Snow Crystals

Some French school groups are not returning for two years, a business owner says.

PC Sunil Narr, of West Midlands Police, used "unacceptable" force as he made arrests in Coventry.

The number of people testing positive for coronavirus in Sandwell has risen again, according to new figures.

The data from Public Health England shows there were 86 new cases in the week up to 20 July. Figures for the seven days to 19 July showed 76 cases.

That means 26.3 people tested positive for every for every 100,000 population (up to 20 July), up from 12.2 a week earlier.

Dr Lisa McNally, the Director of Public Health for Sandwell, said on Monday it hadn't yet reached the stage where a local lockdown was needed, but she was monitoring the rise.

Image source, Reuters

Here are the rate of infections (per 100,000 people) for all local authorities in the West Midlands - for the seven days up to 20 July, compared with the previous week.

• Birmingham up to 12.9 from from 7.0
• Bromsgrove up to 5.1 from 4.1
• Cheshire East down to 3.9 from 4.2
• Coventry up to 7.4 from 2.5
• Dudley down to 0.9 from 2.2
• East Staffordshire down to 15.2 from 29.5
• Herefordshire down to 16.1 from 43.7
• Lichfield up to 4.8 from 3.8

• Newcastle-under-Lyme down to 2.3 from 5.4
• North Warwickshire is up to 9.3 from 1.5
• Nuneaton and Bedworth up to 10.9 from 10.1
• Redditch up to 3.5 from 0.0
• Rugby down to 3.7 from 10.3
• Sandwell up to 26.3 from 12.1
• Shropshire down to 0.9 from 3.4
• Solihull down to 5.1 from 7.9
• South Staffordshire stays the same at 2.7

• Staffordshire Moorlands down to 0.0 from 4.1
• Stoke-on-Trent down to 2.7 from 9.0
• Stratford-on-Avon down to 0.0 from 5.5
• Tamworth down to 2.6 from 3.9
• Telford and Wrekin stays the same at 7.3
• Walsall down to 8.8 from 11.3
• Warwick up to 2.1 from 1.4

• Wolverhampton up to 5.7 from 4.2
• Worcester up to 4.9 from 2.9
• Wychavon down from 1.6 from 4.7

Coventry's Herbert Art Gallery and Museum is set to reopen in 11 days, but some of the site will be closed to visitors.

It said it was redeveloping some of the gallery, to prepare for Coventry becoming UK City of Culture next year.

Image source, Herbert Art Gallery and Museum

The What’s In Store Gallery, Elements Gallery, Art Since 1900 Gallery, Godiva Gallery and Sculpture Gallerywill all remain closed and the main gallery won't open until October.

The museum hopes to be fully open again in January.

Coventry Live

Here are three stories from the Coventry Telegraph today:

• Lorry fire closes two lanes of M6 motorway, external
• Gang of '200 kids' terrorising cricket club, external
• Coventry shop granted alcohol licence, external

Congestion on the M6 in Warwickshire is starting to ease after a lorry fire in the early hours of this morning.

The emergency services were called to the southbound carriageway between junction three and the M6 Toll junction at around 04:00 and this photo shows the extent of the damage.

Image source, Highways England

The road surface was also damaged by the fire and while all three lanes have now reopened, Highways England said it was still at the scene.

Two people needed emergency treatment after their motorbike was involved in a crash with a car in Nuneaton yesterday.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it happened near Bridge Street at 16:45 and the man and woman suffered "serious injuries".

The police were first on the scene and were giving first aid when the ambulance arrived.

BBC News Travel

Drivers are being warned of long delays on the M6 this morning after a lorry fire near Nuneaton.

Image source, Highways England

The vehicle was completely destroyed in the blaze at about 04:15 on the southbound side between J3A and J3. Two lanes remain closed.

Highways England said there was more than five miles of congestion with delays of up to 45 minutes by 07:30., external

It added emergency resurfacing work would be needed on the motorway , externaland drivers should consider alternative routes.