Summary

  • Tens of thousands of 101 calls to Warwickshire Police 'abandoned'

  • JLR expansion prompts wildlife concerns

  • Plans unveiled for a new Wasps training centre

  • Sewer collapse road to remain shut until next week

  • Updates on Thursday 2 June 2016

  1. Our coverage across the daypublished at 18:00 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

     We're back at 08:00 tomorrow with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather, but keep an eye out here for updates through the evening and into the morning.  

  2. Coventry couple caught up in Birmingham pub bombings relive horrorpublished at 17:52 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    It's more than 24 hours since a coroner said inquests into the deaths of 21 Birmingham pub bombings victims would be resumed.

    The BBC had lots of pub bombings material online yesterday and it was among the website's most viewed video.

    In case you missed it, here's a short film catching up with survivors from Coventry.

  3. Homes without water due to burst pipepublished at 17:44 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    Homes are without water after a burst pipe was discovered in a Rugby Street. 

    Severn Trent Water said, external it was working to get the problem in Tennyson Avenue, Bilton, fixed as quickly as possible. 

  4. Watch: Overnight forecastpublished at 17:38 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    For many places it will stay fine and dry this evening and tonight, and with some lengthy clear spells and light winds it may get rather chilly in sheltered western parts.

    Cloud will build in eastern parts, spreading westwards later with lows of 7C (45F).

  5. Latest headlines: BHS rescue attempt fails and Wasps reveal plans to work with Sky Bluespublished at 17:23 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    Some of the top stories across Coventry and Warwickshire this afternoon include: 

    • Up to 11,000 jobs will be lost at BHS after a rescue attempt of the high street chain failed
    • Sky Blues Academy could share a new training centre under plans unveiled by Wasps 
    • A Coventry city centre road will remain closed into next week after a sewer collapsed
  6. BHS to be wound down as rescue attempt failspublished at 16:57 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    BHS is to go into liquidation with the loss of up to 11,000 jobs after efforts to find a buyer failed.

    Locally the chain has stores in Coventry and Nuneaton. 

    All 163 BHS stores across the country will be holding closing sales over the coming weeks. 

    Media caption,

    'Sadness and shock' as BHS rescue bid fails

  7. Travel: Slow traffic on A45published at 16:53 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    BBC Travel

    There’s slow traffic on A45 Stonebridge Highway eastbound in Coventry between Festival Island and Tollbar Island - in the roadworks area.

  8. Travel: Rail delays mean replacement buses in Warwickshirepublished at 16:36 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    London Midland trains are unable to call at Tamworth railway station after a man's body was discovered at the site.

    It means buses will run between Tamworth and Nuneaton via Atherstone.  

    Lengthy delays are predicted.

    Stay up to date here, external.

  9. Chance to see 6 Nations trophy in Coventrypublished at 16:19 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    The RBS 6 Nations trophy is coming to Coventry - and people can have their pictures taken with it to celebrate England's victory. 

    England team with the 6 Nations trophyImage source, AP

    The cup will be in the Lower Precinct tomorrow from 14:00 to 17:00.    

  10. Who gets the Queen's Voluntary Award?published at 16:00 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    On 2 June each year special awards are given out by the Queen to appreciate voluntary organisations. Who are the 2016 recipients?

    Read More
  11. Sewer collapse road to remain shut until next weekpublished at 15:44 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    A street will be closed until next week after a sewer collapsed in Coventry city centre, causing subsidence.

    Primrose Hill Street remains closed but Swanswell Street reopened earlier today.

    Buses are being diverted, National Express Coventry said, external.

    Services will not be calling at Oxford Street, Paynes Lane, Berry Street, King William Street, Victoria Street, Primrose Hill Street and White Street.

  12. Sky Blues 'could use Wasps new training centre'published at 15:29 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    Wasps' planned new training facility could also be used by Coventry City FC Academy, the rugby club's chief executive says.

    David Armstrong said he had spoken with bosses at Sky Blues and offered to share the proposed centre's indoor pitch with them. 

    Artist's impression of training facilityImage source, Ward McHugh Associates

    "We’ve offered to make that available to the football club so that they can maintain academy status, which is very important to them," he told BBC Coventry and Warwickshire.

    "They can use it when we’re not using it, and that fits in with their training programme very well," he added.

  13. Latest headlines: Tens of thousands of 101 calls to police 'missed'; Wasps new training ground could be shared with Sky Bluespublished at 15:05 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    Top stories in Coventry and Warwickshire this afternoon include: 

    • Tens of thousands of 101 calls to Warwickshire Police went unanswered
    • Wasps' chief executive says the Sky Blues Academy can share a planned new training centre
    • A wildlife group is urging Jaguar Land Rover to consider the environment when it expands

  14. Jaguar Land Rover expansion 'must protect wildwife' say expertspublished at 14:33 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    Wildlife experts have urged Jaguar Land Rover to take care of the environment when building work begins on a £500m expansion.   

    The plans include a bridge across the A45 linking the existing site with a new one south of Whitley.

    Artist's impression of the bridge across the A45Image source, Coventry City Council

    The secretary of state this week announced the plans would not need further scrutiny, giving building work the green light, external.

    Gina Rowe, of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust, said: "We just want to make sure that within the development it does not negatively impact on the wildlife, particularly on the River Sowe, with the bridge that’s going to go across and the embankment that will impinge to some degree on the river corridor.”

  15. 'Abandoned' 101 calls: Warwickshire figurespublished at 14:14 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    Here's more on an earlier story:

    The figures revealed waiting times and the number of calls abandoned by the public:

    • Staffordshire Police had the highest number of abandoned calls - 145,000, or one in eight. The force does have a call back option
    • There were about 37,000 abandoned calls in Warwickshire and 22,000 within West Mercia, figures showed. Each force had a 24-second and 32-second "wait" time, respectively
    • West Midlands Police recorded more than 130,000 and an average wait time of 20 seconds, but only gave data for three years

    In Staffordshire, a call is classed as answered when the person gets through to a call handler. In Warwickshire and West Mercia, it is as soon as the call is transferred to an automated operator.

  16. Attackers who targeted teen in Rugby sought by policepublished at 13:54 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    A teenager was hit and pushed against a wall in an attempted robbery in Rugby, police said today, external

    The 18-year-old was attacked by two men as he walked along Railway Terrace towards the railway station. 

    Railway TerraceImage source, Google

    One of them tried to take his phone but it fell to the ground in the scuffle and was damaged. They fled in the direction of Wood Street.

    The attack happened between 13:30 and 13:50 on Sunday, 15 May, said police who this afternoon are appealing for witnesses.

  17. 101 caller 'waited nearly an hour', BBC FOI showspublished at 13:29 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    A caller to Staffordshire Police's 101 service was kept waiting for almost an hour, figures obtained by the BBC show.

    The force took the longest in the West Midlands to answer the non-emergency calls - averaging just over a minute - although one caller waited 51 minutes.

    However, it said the way it measured calls being answered differed to other forces.

    Inside a call centre

    Assistant Chief Constable Nick Adderley said there would be investment to appoint more call handlers.

    A BBC Freedom of Information (FOI) request was made to all forces in the West Midlands region about the performance of their 101 service since April 2012.

  18. Stories we're working on: BBC Midlands Todaypublished at 13:14 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    BBC Midlands Today
    Hilary McConnell, Producer

    Midlands Today will have more on the fatal crash on the M5 Southbound between junctions 8 and 9.  

    Have you ever called 101? - we have a special investigation into the non-emergency police number. Almost half a million calls to the police 101 number in the Midlands have gone 'unanswered' in the last four years.

    We’re also finding out why polecats are growing in numbers in the Midlands.

    Join us for those stories and more on Midlands Today, BBC One, at 13:30, 18:30 and 22:30.

  19. Hospital ECG machines will 'help save the lives' of great apespublished at 13:00 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    Heart monitors donated to Twycross Zoo will "help save the lives of great apes". 

    Dr Sharon Redrobe, director of the Ape Heart Project at the Warwickshire zoo, said the ECG machines would provide information into preventing the onset of cardiac problems in chimpanzees and gorillas.

    An ECG being used on a chimpanzee at Twycross ZooImage source, Twycross Zoo

    "These machines will be used around the world to screen and assess apes that could be at risk of heart disease," she said/

    Fourteen ECG machines were donated to the zoo by George Eliot Hospital in Nuneaton after it upgraded equipment.

  20. Latest headlines: Plans for new Wasps training centre; JLR expansion prompts wildlife concernspublished at 12:44 British Summer Time 2 June 2016

    Rebecca Woods
    BBC News Online, Journalist

    Top stories in Coventry and Warwickshire this afternoon include:

    • Plans unveiled for a new Wasps training centre
    • Nearly half a million 101 calls go 'unanswered' across the Midlands
    • Experts urge Jaguar Land Rover to protect wildlife when building work on the Whitley expansion begins