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A cycle hire scheme has launched across Birmingham.

More than 300 bikes are now available for people to rent from 43 docking stations in and around the city centre.

Monday's launch follows rollouts of the scheme over the last two months in Coventry, Solihull, Stourbridge, Sutton Coldfield, Walsall and Wolverhampton.

Image source, West Midlands Combined Authority

By the end of the year there will be 170 fixed docks and 1,500 bikes for hire across the region, of which 150 will be powered e-bikes, West Midlands Combined Authority said.

The bikes can be hired using the Beryl Cycle Hire app.

A Worcestershire road has been closed due to a collapsed wall.

The wall came down on Lansdowne Crescent Lane today.

Worcestershire County Council Highways said the road would remain closed while officers work to make it safe.

Image source, Worcestershire County Council

West Midlands Police is appealing for help tracing a man who attempted to ram a police motorcycle during a pursuit.

It happened in Oldbury on 5 May.

The car, which the force said was later discovered to be on cloned plates and is suspected stolen, was pursued by the officer on a motorcycle, before the suspect "attempted to reverse ram the officer".

The officer was not injured, but the car did make off from police.

Anyone with information is urged to contact the force.

Demolition work to remove a steel frame building housing the plastic waste finished at the weekend.

Police have appealed for witnesses after a woman was sexually assaulted by a group of men in Kidderminster.

Image source, Google

The woman was attacked while walking in the Broom Crescent and Dovedale Avenue area of the town at about 18:30 on bank holiday Monday, 3 May, police said.

"We would especially to like to identify a family that the victim spoke to at their home in the same area following the incident who offered her support," a West Mercia Police spokesperson said.

Anyone with information was urged to contact the force on 101 or call Crimestoppers anonymously.

The Army was called to deal with an unexploded shell found at a Shropshire beauty spot.

Image source, West Mercia Police

A member of the public came across the Anderson shell in Callow Hollow, on the Long Mynd, said West Mercia Police.

It was removed and destroyed in a controlled explosion,

After a bright start for some, it will be another cloudy day with some heavy and thundery showers with highs of 12°C (54°F).

This was the scene earlier in Aldridge in the West Midlands as captured by ´óÏó´«Ã½ Weather Watcher Tippytoes.

Image source, Tippytoes

The latest news, sport, travel and weather from across the West Midlands and south Cheshire.

Notts take 14 wickets on the last day to earn an innings and 170-run win over Worcestershire and go top of Group One.

Essex and Warwickshire play out rain-affected draw with only 23 overs possible on day four at Chelmsford.

Ben Duckett's 177 not out and six late wickets give Nottinghamshire a chance of victory against Worcestershire.

Essex gain a first-innings lead against Warwickshire as Alastair Cook and Ryan ten Doeschate make half-centuries.

Mary Ball was executed in 1849 after being convicted of poisoning her abusive husband with arsenic.

Peter Siddle completes his best Essex haul, 6-38, as Warwickshire are bowled out for 166, before rain ruins the hosts' reply.

´óÏó´«Ã½ Midlands Today

The Midlands Air Ambulance charity is marking its 30th anniversary today by releasing a collection of old photographs.

Image source, Midlands Air Ambulance

to "go red" on Friday to show support, by wearing red or something similar.

The charity says the last 12 months have been exceptionally challenging due to a significant reduction in fundraising during the pandemic.

Andy Giddings
´óÏó´«Ã½ News

Public Health England (PHE) said it was now dealing with a "small number of cases" of the new Indian variant of Covid-19 in each local authority area in the West Midlands.

PHE regional director Dr Sue Ibbotson said she was aware of 157 cases around the region yesterday and most had a link to foreign travel.

But she said a few appeared to have spread within local communities and teams were working hard to contain the new variant.

Image source, WMCA

Dr Ibbotson also said, with lockdown set to be further eased next month "we have to carefully think about the freedoms we're given" and continue with social distancing and other safety measures.

Coventry Live

The Coventry Live website has these headlines:

Rain abandons day two in the Derbyshire-Durham, Northants-Lancashire, Gloucestershire-Somerset and Notts-Worcestershire games.

From the Shropshire Star:

Some of the children were due to go on their first holiday before the pandemic struck.