Two men have been arrested following a series of car crashes in Warwickshire this morning.

Police were called to a crash involving multiple vehicles on the A445 Leamington Rd in Ryton-on-Dunsmore at about 08:40.

Two vehicles then left the scene, said the Warwickshire force which added they were involved in two further crashes on the A423 and at the roundabout where the two roads merge.

Two men have been taken to hospital with neck injuries according to a spokesperson.

A 20-year-old man from Middlesex has been arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning actual bodily harm and a 24-year-old man from London has been arrested on suspicion of assault occasioning grievous bodily harm.

One man has been arrested in connection with an "ongoing incident" in Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire, police say, external.

Officers were called to Leamington Road at about 08:40 to reports of a crash involving a number of vehicles, said the Warwickshire force, which added two vehicles left the scene shortly after.

Police have increased patrols in the area to try to locate them.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Unemployment in the West Midlands fell by 2,000 to 139,000 in the three months to August, official figures show., external

Image source, PA

The latest data also showed the figure was down 10,000 on the same period last year.

The numbers also suggest a fall across the UK while wages excluding bonuses have risen at their fastest pace in nearly 10 years.

Anti-terror measures are expected to be in place outside the Royal Shakespeare Theatre in Stratford-upon-Avon by early November.

Image source, Google

Bollards will be placed on the paving on Waterside, between the Sheep Street and Chapel Lane turn-off, in a six-month trial aiming to prevent vehicles from mounting the pavement outside the theatre.

Joe Baconnet, from the Stratforward Business Improvement District, said there was no specific threat to the town and the measures were aimed at keeping people as safe as possible.

BBC Business News

Shares in Merlin Entertainments, owners of Alton Towers and Warwick Castle, have dropped by 7% after the company published a trading statement that has disappointed some investors.

Image source, Getty Images

Its Legoland business saw a 0.3% fall in like-for-like sales during the 40 weeks to 6 October.

Like-for-like sales at its Midway Attractions is down 0.7% so far this year, compared to last year.

Midway Attractions has some of Merlin's biggest brands, including The Bear Grylls Adventure in Birmingham, Madame Tussauds, and The Dungeons.

However, the company expects results this year to be in line with market expectations.

A family has been threatened by three men wearing balaclavas who broke into their property on Watling Street, Atherstone, on Monday, police say.

Cash, bank cards and a Mercedes were all stolen. It happened at about 00:45.

It was a "frightening" experience for the family, said the Warwickshire force.

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

It will be mainly dry today with some spells of sunshine breaking through later and highs of 17C (63F).

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

Tonight will be mostly cloudy, but any drizzle will clear leaving a mild night with lows of 9C (48F).

Coventry Observer

Some of today's headlines on the Coventry Observer website include:

• Campaigners accuse HS2 bosses of misleading public, external
• Police fail to investigate one in three crimes, external
• Images released of van after Coventry hit-and-run, external

Coventry Live

These are some of the main stories on the Coventry Live website today:

• The scale of Coventry's criminal gang problem, external and the team trying to tackle it
• Watch skillful pilots tackle crosswinds to land in gusty conditions, external
• Transcript found of eerie Victorian séance in Warwick Castle archives, external

BBC Sport

Teenage wheelchair racer, Kare Adenegan, is one of 10 athletes shortlisted for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year.

Image source, Getty Images

This year the Coventry athlete became T34 100m WPA European champion, winning her first gold medal in senior competition, and took silver in the T34 800m.

The 17-year-old also took the T34 100m world record at the London Anniversary Games.

The winner set to be announced at the BBC Radio 1 Teen Awards on Sunday, 21 October.

About 200 people were in full voice in Coventry to celebrate a pilot project encouraging work colleagues to sing together.

The workplace choirs, called Voice Squad, external, have been formed to boost teamwork and productivity, said organisers.

They are being supported by Coventry City of Culture with choirs being created at the city council, the University of Warwick and University Hospital in Coventry.

Officers investigating a Coventry hit-and-run have released images of a vehicle they want to trace in connection with the crash., external

Image source, West Midlands Police

The driver of the van is suspected of being involved in the collision on the A45 Fletchamstead Highway on Monday 24 September, when a father and his seven-year-old son were struck.

The 38-year-old suffered a leg injury, and his son facial injuries, that were not serious, said West Midlands Police.

The force is asking anyone with information to come forward.

Calls to treat patients who've taken the drug Black Mamba are putting emergency services under extreme pressure, says West Midlands Ambulance Service.

On average, figures show its paramedics are called out between 80 and 100 times a week to cases involving the drug.

Black Mamba is a psychoactive substance that looks like cannabis but is cheaper and more potent. It mimics the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive chemical in cannabis.

Paramedic Neil Howkins said crews could really only take people under the influence of the drug to hospital where "hopefully they'll recover".

"It is a drain on our resource because primarily we're not really there for that."