Birmingham & Black Country

That's it for me for the day, I'll be back again tomorrow at 08:00.

Get in touch with me: locallive@bbc.co.uk.

Largely fine and dry this evening with good spells of warm sunshine to end the day.

Overnight will see thicker cloud and some outbreaks of showery rain gradually spread northwards, with perhaps the odd heavier burst possible in places.

Join me tomorrow to find out more about the Heritage Trail in Handsworth from 06:00 - all part of the BBC WM Summer Tour.

Surgeon, Sudip Sarker, who worked at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch, is under investigation after being suspended last October over concerns about his work.

Three deaths have been referred to the coroner and the General Medical Council is investigating.

We've introduced BBC Local Live to bring you news, sport, travel and weather updates in one place. We'd like to know what you think.

Danny Kelly meeting the locals at the Cross Guns pub Handsworth as part of the BBC WM Summer Tour.

There's delays on the M6 northbound between J4a M42 J7b and J7, A34 (Great Barr).

Average speed is 20mph. Travel time is 30 minutes.

The jury in the trial of two people accused of murdering two-year-old Keanu Williams in Birmingham has been sent home for the night.

His mother Rebecca Shuttleworth and former partner Luke Sotherton both deny murder.

The jury will continue to consider its verdict tomorrow.

BBC WM listener Pat who is 77 today comes to have a drink with Danny on his birthday as the show hits the road for the BBC WM Summer Tour.

This is the result the MoD did not want.

It has fought hard through the courts to limit the extension of human rights and negligence laws to the battlefield, an unpredictable place where the enemy is usually trying to kill or maim UK military personnel: a place which MoD lawyers have long argued is incompatible with the idea of a 'right to life'.

We'll be hearing from Dean Smith on Fabien Brandy and Walsall FC coming up in the BBC WM sport bulletins at 16:30 and 17:30.

Families of soldiers killed in Iraq can pursue damages against the government, the Supreme Court has ruled.

Legal action was brought by relatives of three men killed by roadside bombs while in Snatch Land Rovers - including Pte Phillip Hewett, 21, of Tamworth - and the family of a soldier killed while in a Challenger tank.

One of the daughters of an 82-year-old grandfather murdered in Birmingham says his family do not feel safe.

Father-of-seven Mohammed Saleem was stabbed on his way home from Green Lane Mosque in Small Heath on 29 April.

Maz Saleem said: "There's a killer at large. No-one should be able to feel like this, especially where they've been born and bred and they've grown up."

An earlier lane closure on M5 northbound between J3, A456 (Halesowen) and J2, A4123 (Oldbury), because of an earlier broken down lorry has now cleared.

David Cameron says he's considered calls for homeowners living along the proposed HS2 rail route to be issued with "Property Bonds".

HS2 Ltd would buy properties at the "unblighted" value if no private buyer could be found.

The son of former England and Birmingham City footballer Trevor Francis has denied stealing ladies' shoes and souvenir football shirts from a cottage belonging to ex-Aston Villa player Lee Hendrie.

James Francis told Warwick Crown Court he may have left two fingerprints found at the scene of an alleged burglary during a visit to assess how much it would cost to clean the property.

A surgeon who worked at the Alexandra Hospital in Redditch is under investigation after concerns were raised about his work.

Sudip Sarker, who specialised in Bowel Cancer, was suspended last October.

Three deaths have been referred to the coroner and the General Medical Council is investigating.

The administrators running Stafford Hospital have been given until the end of July to provide their draft recommendations for its future.

Health regulator Monitor has given them a 30 day extension to set-out a "sustainable model" for the Mid Staffordshire NHS Trust.

Solihull house builder Mar City has secured three new construction projects in its core Midlands region, together worth almost £6m, reports The Business Desk.

We've introduced BBC Local Live to bring you news, sport, travel and weather updates in one place. We'd like to know what you think.

The jury in the trial of two people accused of murdering a two-year-old boy in Birmingham has retired to consider its verdicts.

Keanu Williams died in January 2011.

A home finance arranger has been branded a "disgrace to financial services" and fined a record sum of nearly £1m for misleading vulnerable homeowners when selling and renting back their properties.

Birmingham-based Gurpreet Singh Chadda, who traded under the names Red2Black Homes and B&L Homes, was banned from working in the financial services industry and fined £945,277 by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the largest ever penalty for a sole trader.

More than 5,000 people have applied for 275 jobs at a Tesco Express store in West Bromwich, reports the Birmingham Post.

Sue Smith, from Tamworth, has won her fight to sue the government for damages under the Human Rights Act after her son died in Iraq.

The case was brought by relatives of Pte Phillip Hewett, Pte Lee Ellis and Lance Cpl Kirk Redpath

Pte Phillip Hewett (pictured left) died in July 2005 and she's always believed the MOD was negligent in not providing a better armoured vehicle to protect him.

The judge ruled the Ministry of Defence owes soldiers a duty of care under the law of negligence.

The A34 Stratford Road in Sparkhill is busy but moving around the St Johns Road traffic lights junction.

I've been in Handsworth this morning making cakes for the BBC WM Summer Tour.

Find out more on BBC WM.

Aston Villa's opening to the season looks testing - away at Arsenal, home to Liverpool, away to Chelsea - although if they play well in those matches it would give them some momentum.

There will be an alteration, though, as the match at Stamford Bridge scheduled for Saturday 31 August clashes with Chelsea's commitment to play in the European Super Cup.

When the same thing happened last season, the corresponding match was played earlier, in the first midweek of the season, so if that happened again Villa would start with successive away games against Arsenal and Chelsea… Might as well get them out of the way!

West Bromwich Albion begin at home against Southampton on 17 August, before visiting Everton and playing Swansea at The Hawthorns.

The derby games between Albion and Villa are scheduled for The Hawthorns on 23 November and - interestingly - an unusual midweek derby date at Villa Park on Tuesday 28 January 28.

Albion's so-called bogey team, Stoke, are due at The Hawthorns on the final day of the season, 11 May.

Caroline Martin's back in office having completed her Summer Tour challenge- cake making in Handsworth - in style!

Find out more about the BBC WM Summer Tour here.

Six men arrested in dawn raids across Birmingham and in Brierley Hill yesterday will appear before magistrates accused of drug and handling crimes.

They All were arrested as part of Operation Intrusive − a blitz on burglars suspected of targeting homes across Birmingham.

Birmingham City open their programme in the Championship on 3 August at home to Watford before a first-ever league trip to Yeovil the following weekend.

Wigan away is a decent fixture for Blues fans to have on Boxing Day - a relatively straightforward trip by road and Wigan always welcome big travelling contingents, so it's a chance for Blues supporters to celebrate Christmas together.

A Tamworth mum whose son was killed in Iraq has won her fight to sue the government for damages under the Human Rights Act, reports BBC WM.

Phillip Hewett, Leon Spicer and Richard Shearer (l-r) were killed in July 2005

Sue Smith's son, Pte Phillip Hewett, died in July 2005. She's always believed the MoD was negligent in not providing a better armoured vehicle to protect him.

A new police crackdown on sex workers and kerb crawlers operating in Birmingham and a fleet of five new fire engines - with new technology from across the pond - for Birmingham Airport.

That's Midlands Today on BBC One at 13:30.

An earlier lane closure on the M6 southbound between J7, A34 (Great Barr) and J6 A38(M) Aston Expressway, caused by a broken down vehicle, has now cleared.

A lovely day so far, some good sunny spells around, and temperatures up in the 20s. Not a great day for hayfever sufferers though.

Today the BBC WM Summer Tour bus is outside Walsall Art Gallery.

Feel free to pop along, say hello and tell us why you love where you live.

West Midlands Police say they've been alerted to a rise in the number of "horrific" web pages being set up to bully teenagers.

The "shaming pages" claim to expose the sexual behaviour of young people.

Is the West Midlands Police crackdown on prostitution around Hagley Road in Birmingham a waste of time?

Matthew Mc Donnell said on Facebook that the sex industry should be legalised, taxed and regulated.

What do you think? Have your say at BBC WM's Facebook page.

I've been speaking to Ben Norris, a poet studying in the West Midlands, and Unique, a singer from the region.

Both are very talented and doing the West Midlands proud. Missed it? Listen online.

It was known yesterday that Wolves would start their League One season at Preston, but the first two home games, against Gillingham and Crawley, promise a reality check for anyone left at Molineux who might still need one about the demands of the third tier.

Walsall will no doubt be excited about an early-season trip to Molineux on 7 September, with the Banks's Stadium derby due in March.

The Saddlers open the season at home to Tranmere and in general it looks like a tough start, with a number of likely promotion contenders on the fixture list in August and September.

Health campaigners have welcomed a new food labelling scheme, which is being phased in across the UK, that will use a traffic light system to show how much fat, salt, sugar and calories are in each product.

The scheme will be voluntary, but ministers are confident they have the food industry on board. But some big firms, including United Biscuits and Birmingham chocolate maker Cadburys aren't taking part.

Sex workers and kerb crawlers in Birmingham are being warned of a new crackdown on prostitution by police in the city.

Under Operation Scarlet, if sex workers get three cautions they will be arrested and sent to court.

I was treated to a big breakfast at the top of The Cube yesterday before starting the arduous task of moving house. Brilliant view from up there.

Share photos of what you've been up to with me: locallive@bbc.co.uk

Is the West Midlands Police crackdown on streetwalkers and kerb crawlers around Hagley Road in Birmingham a waste of time?

Share your thoughts with me: 08453 009956 or text WM and your message to 81333.

The Premier League fixtures have been announced. West Brom will host Southampton on 17 August while Aston Villa will travel to Arsenal.

Birmingham has one of the youngest populations of any city in Europe - and now it's being called "the home of new music".

So join me now to listen to Unique - a singer from Birmingham - performing live on BBC WM.

M6 lane closed on exit slip road southbound at J9, A461 (Wednesbury), because of a broken down vehicle.

A new crackdown on kerb crawlers and prostitutes has been launched in Birmingham.

West Midlands Police's Operation Scarlet will target parts of Edgbaston and Ladywood near Hagley Road, where sex workers and motorists suspected of using prostitutes could be cautioned.

Birmingham has been highlighted as an identity fraud hotspot, according to latest figures.

Experian said identity fraud was highest in inner-city, mixed neighbourhoods with low to middle incomes.

A mostly dry and fine day across the region, with plenty of sunny spells and perhaps a few showers developing across eastern parts this afternoon. Stay up to date with the latest BBC Weather forecast.

There's stop-start traffic on the M6 northbound between J4a M42 and J6 A38(M) Aston Expressway Spaghetti Junction.

Good morning, I'm with you in Birmingham until 18:00 today, bringing you the latest news, sport, travel and weather from across the region.