Local Democracy Reporting Service

Plans have been unveiled for the first phase of a new multimillion-pound cycleway in Binley, Coventry.

Image source, Coventry City Council

The city council has set out the plans for the first part of the fully segregated two-way cycleway, which runs to Binley Business Park on Harry Weston Road.

The first phase covers a 3.4km (2.1 mile) section, but the final route will span 6km (3.75 mile), eventually running to University Hospital Coventry and Warwickshire.

It will also link cyclists to the likes of the city centre, Coventry University, Gosford Green and Stoke Green.

The scheme could start in spring 2021 and take up to a year to complete.

A number of side roads will become closed to vehicular traffic including Stoke Green (West), Raleigh Road [CGI above] and Anthony Way at their junctions with Binley Road.

Michele Paduano
Health correspondent, BBC Midlands Today

A lung cancer patient from Coventry says he fears for his future after his potentially life-saving operation was pushed back due to the pandemic.

John Smart, who has been shielding ahead of his surgery, says as the Covid-19 situation gets worse, he fears the operation at University Hospital in Coventry will keep being postponed.

NHS guidelines state cancer treatment should start within 62 days of a patient being referred from a GP, but it's now more than five months since Mr Smart first coughed up blood.

He says he's worried that with every day that passes, his life could be cut short.

A cancer expert warned of delays in diagnosing and treating people with the disease, earlier this year.

"Nobody is counting cancer deaths, " he said.

"One day in the future, some people will start to count up these things and it will be seen that the cost of concentrating on Covid action, has cost more lives than Covid did."

Labour's Matt Western says universities "are struggling to contain coronavirus" with 5,000 cases in recent weeks.

After considering the circumstances of the breach, police said councillor Mutton was given a warning.

Coventry Live

The Coventry Live website's top stories today include:

• Coventry City given major Ricoh Arena return boost, external
• Senior Coventry councillor resigns from cabinet role after breaking Covid quarantine rules, external
• Restaurant fined for breaching 22:00 curfew, external

George Tweedie died from a blow to the head before being found in a burnt-out car in Buxton.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Tom Davis

A near tripling in the rate of new coronavirus cases in Coventry in a month is "alarming", according to the city council's leader.

Image source, Google

The latest figures for the seven days to 3 October show 98.8 new cases per 100,000 people compared with 33.65 for the first seven days of September.

The government is expected to confirm a new "three-tier" approach to Covid-19 restrictions soon with 100 per 100,000 cases triggering tighter guidelines.

Nearby areas including Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Sandwell and Solihull have already had new lockdown measures such as banning households from mixing.

Coventry City Council leader George Duggins said it was important residents help avoid any localised restrictions as he feared there was “no clear pathway out”.

Sean Coughlan
BBC News family and education correspondent

People living in a city are no less likely to help a stranger than in a town or village, according to research published by the Royal Society.

Image source, Danny Lawson

Psychologists from University College London carried out experiments such as pretending to drop things and seeing if anyone came to help.

Nottingham was the place with the greatest amount of sociable behaviour, with positive results from places including the Warwickshire village of Polesworth.

Birmingham was middle ranking in the experiments.

The company hopes to keep compulsory job cuts below 90 and plans to re-open one theatre in December.

Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

Universities could lose up to a fifth of their income as a result of Brexit, one university leader has warned.

Students arriving from the EU will need to apply for a visa after Brexit and could face higher tuition fees.

Ian Dunn, Provost of Coventry University, said currently around 10% students at the city's two universities are from European countries.

"I would suggest between 10-20% of university income is linked to the European project. That doesn't mean all of that disappears automatically with Brexit but it is of that order," he added.

The government said it is committed to a points-based immigration system based on the skills people have rather than their country they are from.

Car maker Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has restored a two-shift work pattern at several UK plants as demand increases for its cars.

Image source, Jaguar Land Rover

The Coventry-based firm has cut thousands of jobs over the past two years amid a slowdown in sales which it blamed on Brexit and then Covid-19.

Production was halted completely in March during lockdown and then restarted at a reduced capacity.

But JLR said , externalsales had increased more than 50% in the three months to the end of September compared to the previous quarter.

To meet the rise in demand, the firm has increased production to two-shifts at plants including Solihull and the Engine Manufacturing Centre in Wolverhampton.

Coventry Live

The Coventry Live website has these headlines:

• Plans for more than 200 new homes next to Coventry sports club, external
• Train chat led to attack at Coventry railway station, external
• Glass smashed over victim in violent bar brawl, external

A CCTV image of a man police want to speak to in connection with an assault outside Coventry's railway station has been released.

Image source, British Transport Police

A man was attacked as he left the station on 1 August.

He had travelled from Birmingham and had spoken to a man on the train about the way he had been speaking to another person.

It is thought his attacker then got a train back to Birmingham.

Officers said they believe the man in the CCTV image could have information which can help their investigation.

Sonia Kataria
BBC News

Drivers are being warned not to ignore road closure signs after flooding in Leicestershire.

The county council's flood responder, Ben Nandrame, said a van, stuck in Witherley on Monday, was one of 10 reports of vehicles stranded across the county he has received since Friday.

Image source, Anthony Parkes

Mr Nandrame said Mythe Lane in Witherley (pictured above), Watery Gate Lane in Thurlaston (pictured below) and Slash Lane in Sileby are all closed due to flooding and are not passable.

However, Merrylees Road, Bagworth, is "passable with due care and attention".

He said: "Fast flowing flood water can easily move a car and knock you off your feet, so please do not enter any flood water and find an alternative route."

Image source, Jason Gulliver

Wasps will host the first of two Premiership Rugby semi-finals on Saturday, 10 October.

A main road linking two Warwickshire towns may close for up to nine months for HS2 construction work.

BBC Radio CWR

Demand for spare parts for Austin Healey sports cars has shot up during lockdown, according to a firm in Warwickshire.

AH Spares, in Southam, has been running for nearly 50 years.

Since March, the firm said sales had increased by nearly 40% and parts have been shipped across the world, particularly to the USA.

"We believe it is because the customer is locked down in their garages so they are getting on with their restoration projects that they probably couldn't get on with before," Director Rebecca Kemsley said.

Coventry Live

A few of the headlines on Coventry Live today:

• Sharp rise in Covid-19 infection rates across Coventry and Warwickshire, external
• Driver rescued from flooded car, external
• Future of Nuneaton's iconic Dandelion Fountain confirmed, external

A driver has been rescued from flood water in Warwickshire.

The fire service said , externalcrews from Wellesbourne and Stratford-upon-Avon were called out just before midday on Sunday.

Image source, Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service

Allen Cook
BBC News

The rivers Leam and Avon will be closely monitored today after heavy rain at the weekend.

Image source, BBC Weather Watcher Soadave

Three flood warnings remain in place , externalwith one on the Leam at Eathorpe, Huningham and Offchurch, near Leamington Spa, and two on the Avon at Wyre Piddle, near Evesham, and Strensham and Bredon.

The Environment Agency has said it expected water levels to remain high through the day.

There are also eight flood alerts, meaning flooding is possible, dotted across the West Midlands.

In Worcestershire, the county council has said , externalseveral roads and bridges remain closed while First Worcester said some bus services remain disrupted., external