BBC Hereford and Worcester

The son of a soldier who survived the Battle of the Somme has spoken of his pride on its centenary.

Neil Parker's father Percy volunteered in 1915 and went on to become a farmer contractor and butcher in Bromyard.

Neil said: "When folks talk about it I can say 'my dad was out there' and my son Nigel can say 'my grandfather was out there'.

"My father was very proud of Bromyard. He always used to say if you want to find a mug in Bromyard you've got to bring him with you."

BBC Hereford and Worcester

Shoppers and staff have been evacuated from the Kingfisher shopping centre in Redditch this morning. Three malls were closed after an alarm was set off. 

 A spokesman for the centre told BBC Hereford and Worcester it was all down to a technical fault and people only had to stay outside for a few minutes. 

Image source, Google

Follow live text and radio commentary as Worcestershire face Derbyshire in the T20 Blast.

Hereford Times

A 36-year-old woman has pleaded not guilty to stealing a dog , externalwhich was tied up outside Asda in Hereford.

Image source, Hereford Times

BBC Hereford and Worcester

Today marks the centenary of the Battle of the Somme which saw more than one million men killed or wounded during five months of fighting.

Percy Parker Bill Adams were neighbours from Bromyard who volunteered together and fought next to each other on the Somme - until Bill was killed by a shell.

Percy survived and became a farmer, contractor and butcher in Bromyard  

Percy's son Neil told BBC Hereford & Worcester his father did not want to talk about what had happened.

"He would have been stood by Bill and a shell came over and killed Bill outright.

"They joined together and had consecutive numbers."

BBC Sport

Worcester Warriors' chief executive Jim O'Toole says he can understand some supporters being angry about the departure of Dean Ryan from Sixways.

The director of rugby will be replaced by head coach Carl Hogg and high performance director Nick Johnston.

Mr O'Toole said: "There is fall out, people see both sides of it. There has been an emotional reaction. A club does get personalised into one person because they've been the media figurehead but this club is not about one person."

Worcester News

The city council's leader says he wants to spark a fresh tourism push, external - focusing on Worcester's heritage and independent shops.

Image source, Worcester News

Latest weather for the West Midlands

The discovery of locks of hair in a drawer led a woman to discover the tragic story of her family's World War One past.

The story of three brothers killed in World War One has come to light in a diary kept by their mother.

Patrick Burns
Political editor, Midlands

The launch of the West Midlands Combined Authority had been designed to set out our long-term prospects but instead the day was impaled on the hooks of real and present dangers after the watershed vote for Britain's exit from the European Union.

Should I perhaps turn to astrology for some inspiration as to what this uncertain future might hold?

A local lad who hailed originally from one of the combined authority's "non-constituent" or "associate" local authority areas, Stratford-upon-Avon, once said: "It is not in our stars to hold our destiny, but in ourselves."

Read more in my latest blog.

The story of three brothers killed in World War One has come to light in a diary kept by their mother. Five of Kitty Wilmot's sons went to fight but only two survived. One of them, Tom Wilmot, who won a Military Cross for bravery, was killed at the Battle of the Somme. The diary and also letters have been handed down to his great niece Miranda Michels.

Carlie Swain
BBC Local Live

Passengers using Arriva Trains Wales say the service has got worse in the past 12 months. 

An annual survey by the transport watchdog Transport Focus, external found they weren't happy with availability of staff, punctuality and car parking facilities, but nevertheless 82% (down from 89%) ticked the "satisfied" or "good" boxes to describe their journey.

Meanwhile, London Midland customers think the company has improved, especially the stations they are responsible for.

Richard Westcott
Transport correspondent

More now on the story we told you earlier, that plans to turn more motorway hard shoulders into permanent driving lanes have been criticised by a Commons committee.

To give you an idea of what we're talking about - you might have already driven on something called a "smart motorway". It's where they open the hard shoulder to traffic when it's really busy.

Image source, PA

"All-lane running" is different. It's where the hard shoulder will be open all the time, and for governments it's a cheaper way of increasing road capacity without laying down more tarmac.  

But some loud voices, including the RAC and AA, say they're not convinced the current design is safe.  

One motoring expert described it to me like this. Smart motorways have a belt and braces for safety. "All-lane running" takes away the belt and half the braces.  

A former aide to an ex-UKIP MEP raised fears her expenses claims were being inflated six months before going to police, a court hears.

Children's services at a hospital in Worcestershire are being moved nearly 20 miles because of staff shortages, hospital bosses confirm.

Wicketkeeper Ben Cox becomes the 10th Worcestershire player to agree a new long-term contract inside a year.

Listen to live BBC radio commentary of Durham v Worcestershire in the T20 Blast.

Latest weather for the West Midlands

An MEP's claims for road journeys she never made would not have been paid if it was known she had travelled more cheaply by plane, a court is told.