���˿���

Port Vale sign 24-year-old midfielder Ben Garrity from Blackpool for an undisclosed fee.

An outbreak of the Delta variant is being linked to schools and a college in Leek.

A mobile Covid-19 vaccination site in Birmingham is to welcome people aged 18 and over this week, the leader of the city council says.

Councillor Ian Ward says the unit, which will be based at the library in Ward End and on Nechells Park Road over the next two days, is offering the Pfizer jab and people don't need to book.

Rugeley Power Station closed in 2016 and the site is earmarked for thousands of new homes.

People have taken almost 500 rides a day on hire bikes after their launch in Birmingham last month.

More than 300 bikes were made available to rent from 43 docks across the city on 24 May, and so far 6,926 journeys have been taken, with users covering a combined distance of more than 23,000 kilometres.

Image source, West Midlands Combined Authority

Transport for West Midlands (TfWM) has now launched cycle hire in seven locations with almost 1,000 cycles available for hire in Birmingham, Coventry, Solihull, Stourbridge, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Andy Street, Mayor of the West Midlands, said: “We are so far exceeding our early expectations and if the trend continues will be looking to grow the scheme with more docks, more bikes and more locations.”

A cinema is to reopen on Friday for the first time in 14 months,

The Light House Cinema in Wolverhampton will welcome customers for the first time since it was closed due to the coronavirus pandemic in March 2020.

Image source, Google

Its CEO, Kelly Jeffs said: "The place has come to life as staff are preparing to welcome our customers back.

"Arts and culture really helped people through lockdown and will play a vital role in the country’s recovery.

"Chatting with our loyal customers is something no one at Light House will take for granted again."

Police are urging people to stay away from quarry pools as the hot weather continues.

Despite their appeal, West Mercia Police say they can be deadly.

Matt Sandoz
���˿��� Radio Stoke

Trentham long jumper Jazmin Sawyers has edged closer to confirming her place in the GB Olympic Squad for Tokyo.

The 27-year-old achieved a personal best and the Olympic qualifying standard with a jump of 6 metres 90cm in California last night.

The distance is the fourth furthest ever achieved by a British woman.

If Jazmin finishes in the top two positions at the British Olympic trials later this month, she’ll guarantee her selection for a second successive Games.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council Leader Abi Brown says it hopes private cars will be unaffected by the plans.

Birmingham Live

Here are some of the stories from the Birmingham Live website today:

Four giant cooling towers were demolished at the old Rugeley power station yesterday.

Police urged local people to stay away from the site, due to Covid-19 restrictions, but the moment was streamed online.

The demolition of the 117m-tall (384ft) towers was delayed for 20 minutes so that it did not clash with a ceremony at Staffordshire's National Memorial Arboretum.

A fundraiser set up to help the family of 14-year-old Dea-John Reid pay for funeral costs has now raised more than £17,000.

Dea-John died after being stabbed on College Road in Kingstanding, Birmingham on Monday, 31 May.

Hundreds of people attended a vigil on Sunday night to remember the Harborne Academy pupil.

The online donations page, set up in his honour, says his mother has been left "heartbroken" by his death and has so far raised more than £17,637 for his family to cover funeral costs.

Image source, Family handout

Five people have now been charged with murdering Dea-John, who died from a stab wound to his chest.

They include a 14-year-old boy from Wolverhampton and a 16-year-old from Great Barr who were remanded in custody to appear at Birmingham Magistrates' Court today.

A man suffered serious head injuries when he fell backwards after being punched in the face by an unknown attacker, say police.

The man, in his late 20s, was attacked as he stood with friends at the junction of Bedford Street and Regent Street at about 21:30 on Friday.

Image source, Google

"He was taken to hospital where he is receiving treatment - his injuries are not currently believed to be life-threatening," a spokesperson for Warwickshire Police said.

Officers said the suspect was described as Asian, in his late 20s to early 30s and of medium to large build.

He was believed to be wearing a black baseball cap, navy t-shirt and white shorts, said police, who appealed for witnesses.

���˿��� Sport chief football writer at the Riverside Stadium

England manager Gareth Southgate knows the phoney war is over and the serious action starts now.

He has been asked questions by the outstanding performances of Aston Villa captain Jack Grealish in friendly wins over Austria and Romania.

Grealish is assembling a mounting body of work that suggests it is almost impossible for Southgate to leave him out of England's opening game of the Euros against Croatia at Wembley.

Image source, Getty Images

He has been England's standout performer in both friendlies - but Southgate is facing complex decisions over personnel and formation, as well as the availability of other creative forces in those areas such as Foden and Mount.

Grealish's arrival on the England scene has been something of a slow burner but he looks totally at ease at international level, playing the game with a smile on his face, demanding, probing, forcing the opposition into fouls in dangerous areas - one of which brought a penalty for England's winner here.

His brilliance provides a nice headache for Southgate to have but a headache nonetheless.

A little boy from Bridgnorth is set to receive potentially life-saving stem cell transplant after a donor was found in Germany.

Image source, Family photo

Gunner, who is just 18 months old, has a very rare condition called Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS Type 1) which means he cannot break down his body's natural sugars.

When no matches were found in the UK, the search went international.

It's expected to be another warm day with a mix of sunshine and cloud.

There is also the chance of the odd shower at times.

Light to gentle winds. Maximum Temperature: 17 to 20C (63 to 68F).

Good morning and welcome to our live service for Monday.

We'll be bringing you the latest news, sport, weather and travel updates from across the West Midlands until 18:00.

If you want to get in touch, you can send us your news, views and photos viaand.