BBC News Travel

A serious crash has closed the M45 eastbound between the A45 Coventry Road and M1 J17 (Dunchurch/Coventry).

The road is likely to remain closed for some time.

Vanessa Pearce
BBC Local Live

Good morning.

We'll be bringing you all the latest news, sport, travel and weather for Coventry and Warwickshire between now and 18:00.

If you'd like to get in touch with the BBC Local Live team you can do so by emailing us, tweeting @BBCCovWarks, external, or visiting our Facebook page, external.

Metro Mayor Andy Street said having the broadcaster in the region would be 'genuinely transformative'.

Middlesex lose two early wickets as they are set a target of 234 to beat winless Warwickshire at Edgbaston.

Randeep Tamne told his victim she would be arrested if she did not return to his home.

We'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 on Thursday.

Keep an eye out here for more updates and breaking news before then.

Kevin Reide
Midlands Today

People living in a Warwickshire village are campaigning against a decision by the Church of England to sell off a field of allotments to developers.

The site in Wellesbourne has been used by hundreds of families for more than 170 years.

BBC Sport

A two-year deal's been handed by Coventry City to the former Fulham right-back Jack Grimmer.

Image source, Getty Images

The 23-year-old played 19 times for the Whites, including 13 games in the Championship in 2014-15, before being released this summer.

He started his career at hometown club Aberdeen, making his debut at 16 in April 2010 to become the Dons' youngest-ever player.

After joining Fulham, he had loan spells at Port Vale and Shrewsbury.

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

After a sunny day for most of us, here's how your night is looking along with tomorrow morning.

You can also get the latest forecasts for your part of the West Midlands via the BBC Weather website.

Fifty homes could replace 170 years of fruit and veg growing.

BBC Coventry & Warwickshire Sport

The man in charge of getting Coventry Rugby Club into the Championship says he's convinced the side has what it takes to establish itself in that division.

Image source, Google

The team is back in pre-season training, ahead of the new National League One campaign which begins in September.

Coventry's director of rugby Rowland Winter says it'll be a tough challenge but the club want to be in the second tier of English rugby.

Parts of Kenilworth were sealed off this afternoon following reports of a suspected explosion.

Police and firefighters were called to an address on Warwick Road and several roads were closed - they have all now reopened.

Image source, Google

Warwickshire Fire and Rescue service confirmed they were called to the address but a spokeswoman said that after liaising with the police "no action was required".

Police say the incident was not terror related.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

Someone is deliberately targeting cats in part of Coventry after a third one was shot within the space of several weeks, external, the RSPCA fears

Image source, RSPCA

The latest case saw four-year-old Bensi suffer a leg injury last week near Earlsdon Avenue South, which turned out to have been caused by an air rifle pellet.

It's just five weeks, the RSPCA says, after a cat was shot near her home in Mayfield Road, Earlsdon and another needed a leg amputating after being shot in April in Stanway Road.

BBC News Travel

Two lanes are closed southbound between J13 and J14 after a vehicle struck the barriers.

Rugby Observer

Elderly Warwickshire residents have been falling victim to ‘sinister’ scam mails, with one woman sending so much to fraudsters she could not pay her bills and fell into debt. , external

BBC Weather Watchers

Blue skies have been the order of the morning so far for our BBC Weather Watchers.

These two have come from users Rain man in Warwick and Daisynics in Oxhill:

Image source, Rain man

Image source, Daisynics

BBC Sport

Warwickshire have recovered from a shaky start as they attempt to build a big second innings total for Middlesex to chase at Edgbaston.

Earlier, the two sides scored exactly the same in their first innings and Warwickshire lost four wickets for just 85 runs when they went back out to bat.

But, they've now reached 136-4, thanks to a half century from captain Jonathan Trott.

A man who raped and blackmailed a woman after pretending to be a police officer has been jailed for eight years and one month.

West Midlands Police said 43-year-old Randeep Tamne, from Coventry, had looked for a "vulnerable female" on a dating website and "took advantage of her sexually, emotionally and financially".

Image source, West Midlands Police

The offences took place in July and August last year and Tamne, Wycliffe Road West, in Wyken, admitted two charges of rape, one of blackmail and one of impersonating a police officer at Warwick Crown Court.

He has been placed on the sex offenders register for life.

Coventry Telegraph

A major police operation which involved armed officers and saw a residential street, external in Holbrooks closed off this afternoon was to arrest a man wanted on recall to prison.

Alec Blackman
BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

Car maker Peugeot, which has its UK headquarters in Coventry, saw sales of new cars fall in the latest figures. , external

The statistics, from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT), show Peugeot's dropped by over 12% from 8,773 in June 2016 to 7,688 last month.

Image source, Getty Images

Across the country, SMMT says the UK's market fell 4.8% in June and said it came after an increase in road tax in April.

There was better news for Gaydon-based Aston Martin and Jaguar Land Rover, with its Whitley base, as both saw rises in sales in the figures.