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Crackdown on kerb crawlers in Birmingham
West Midlands Police have launched an operation to crack down on kerb crawlers in Birmingham.
Read the full storyOnly venomous snake native to Britain spotted in Cannock Chase
The only venomous snake native to Britain, the adder has been spotted in Cannock Chase.
Viewer Sue Lynskey sent this photograph to ITV News Central warning walkers to beware as 'they give a nasty bite and dogs tread on them easily'.
Experts at the Forestry Commission say adders will only use their venom as a last means of defence, usually if caught or trodden on.
No one has died from an adder bite in Britain for over 20 years. With proper treatment, the worst effects are nausea and drowsiness, followed by severe swelling and bruising in the area of the bite.
For more information on Adders in the UK visit the Forestry Commission website.
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'It's going to be a long fight but we have got to do it'
Relatives of the soldiers killed in Iraq said they believed they still had "a long hard fight" ahead of them after they won a fight for the right to sue, but said were ready to battle for compensation.
Pte Hewett's mother, Sue Smith, 51, of Tamworth, Staffordshire, said: "They can no longer treat soldiers as sub-human with no rights. It's been a long fight but it's absolutely brilliant. Now serving soldiers have got human rights."
She added: "What we have done here will make a difference to a lot of people."
L/Cpl Redpath's father, Colin Redpath, 57, of Hornchurch, Essex, said: "Hopefully this will help our armed forces' safety in future combat zones. The Ministry of Defence has got a duty to supply the right equipment. Now that has been established."
He added: "It's probably going to be a long hard fight from now on. But we have got to do it."
Report into future of Mid Staffs Trust delayed
Health watchdog Monitor has announced the report into the future of the Mid Staffordshire NHS Foundation Trust has been delayed.
The Trust, which runs Stafford Hospital, was put into administration in April 2013 after its services were deemed unsustainable.
Trust Special Administrators have been granted an additional 30 working days to find a way of making health services provided by the trust financially viable after applying for an extension last week.
– Dr David Bennett, Chief Executive at Monitor“The TSAs have been set a complex and challenging task and, while any delay is frustrating for patients and staff, it is important to get it right for local patients.
“Monitor’s Board recognised the scale of the challenges in identifying a solution that meets the needs of the local health economy and asked us to exercise even greater scrutiny at this critical stage.”
Freddie Starr re-bailed
Freddie Starr's lawyer said the comedian is hopeful he will be able to clear his name after he was re-bailed following his arrest by officers investigating the Jimmy Savile abuse scandal.
Starr, 70, was re-bailed until 28 August after he was due to answer bail today.
His lawyer, Dean Dunham, said: "Mr Starr was due to answer bail today, Wednesday June 19. However, the police have decided to re-bail him to August 28 and in the circumstances he was not required to attend the police station today.
"Mr Starr has maintained his innocence throughout and has assisted the police with their inquiries at all times.
"We are hopeful that the police inquiries are drawing close to a conclusion at which time Mr Starr will be able to confirm that he has publicly cleared his good name and reputation."
Defence Secretary: 'Very concerned at the wider implications of this judgment'
The Defence Secretary has said that he is 'concerned about the wider implications' of the Supreme Court ruling which has allowed families of servicemen killed in Iraq to sue the Government for damages.
“Our thoughts remain with those who were injured and the families of those who sadly lost their lives. The most important priority is the protection of our troops and since this litigation started a wide range of protected vehicles including Mastiff, Ridgeback, Husky, Wolfhound, Jackal and Foxhound, have been available to commanders to match the most appropriate available vehicle to specific tasks based on the assessment of the operational risk.
"I welcome the fact that the Court has upheld the principle of the doctrine of combat immunity, albeit suggesting that it should be interpreted narrowly.
"However, I am very concerned at the wider implications of this judgment, which could ultimately make it more difficult for our troops to carry out operations and potentially throws open a wide range of military decisions to the uncertainty of litigation.
– Defence Secretary Philip Hammond"We will continue to make this point in future legal proceedings as it can't be right that troops on operations have to put the ECHR ahead of what is operationally vital to protect our national security.”
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Husband accused of deliberately crashing car to kill wife gives evidence
Iain Lawrence who denies murdering his wife Sally Lawrence by deliberately crashing his car while she was in the front passenger seat, continues to give evidence today.
He is being crossed examined by the prosecution. Lawrence is claiming he was still friends with his wife but the prosecution claim she was frightened of him and they were fighting over equity in the marital home.
He says it was all 'sorted out' the night before she died and he was giving her all the equity in the house.
A1 carriageways closed after fatal lorry crash
Both carriageways of the A1 between Grantham and Newark are closed after a fatal crash between a lorry and a van.
Nottinghamshire Police say it happened near Long Bennington around 5.30 am on the 19th June, both vehicles caught fire, filling carriageways with 'large plumes of smoke'.
Occupants of the van were pronounced dead at the scene though police say it is not yet been confirmed how many people were killed.
The southbound carriageway is expected to re-open before noon but the northbound carriageway is expected to remain closed for the majority of the day.
Diversions are in place at the junctions with the A52 and A46, but motorists are being asked to avoid the area where possible.
Leicester shortlisted for UK City of Culture 2017 title
Leicester is one of four cities to have been shortlisted for the UK City of Culture 2017.
The city will now have to submit a final bid and wait until November to find out if it will be named as only the second ever UK City of Culture, following in the footsteps of current title holder Derry-Londonderry.
City Mayor Peter Soulsby who has chaired the bid, which has involved over 400 people working towards the title for the city said:
"This is really good news for the city. The bid process has already involved an enormous amount of goodwill and hard work from all the people and organisations involved, and this exciting news means we can now build on that in the next stage.
"We will now be doing a lot of public engagement work to ensure that anyone with an interest in arts and culture has the chance to suggest ideas that could feature in our final bid."
Judges from the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) announced Leicester and the other shortlisted areas for the title as Hull, Dundee and Swansea Bay.
Soldiers' families 'extremely pleased' with court ruling
The lawyer representing the Challenger claimants said they are "extremely pleased" with the Supreme Court's decision to allow families to sue the Ministry of Defence.
Shubhaa Srinivasan, from law firm Leigh Day, said: "The highest court in the land has now ruled the MoD, as employer, must accept that it owes a duty of care to properly equip service personnel who go to war.
"We have constantly argued that the MoD's position is morally and legally indefensible.
"The claimants' claims have always been about decisions taken on provision of adequate equipment and training to British troops which are far removed from the battlefield.
"It seems incredible that it was often left up to soldiers themselves to buy this equipment as they felt compelled to, so as to better protect their own lives and the lives of those they were responsible for.
"The MoD argument that if they accept a duty of care it would inhibit decisions on the battlefield or undermine morale and military discipline seems to defy logic".
