HERE are some of the top stories from across the Black Country and north Worcestershire today.

A MAN has died after a two car crash in Bewdley this morning (October 13). 

Emergency services were called to the B4194, Dowles Road, in Bewdley, at around 6.45am on Friday morning to reports of a two vehicle collision.

The driver of one of the cars, a man in his 20s, was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with serious injuries, where he was sadly pronounced dead. 

The driver of the other car, a man in his 60s, was taken to Russells Hall Hospital, with injuries that are not throught to be life-threatening at this time. 

Read the full story here.

A SHOCKING haul of weapons which had been confiscated from pupils at an Oldbury secondary school have been destroyed.

Oldbury Police tweeted an image of weapons which have been seized by officers from a single high school in the town, including BB guns, a knuckle duster and various knives.

They were handed over to officers to destroy after being discovered in a drawer which was being cleared out.

A West Midlands Police spokesman said the force has decided not to reveal the name the school.

For the full story, click here.

AN EXTRAORDINARY emergency meeting has been triggered at Worcestershire County Council, with Labour calling for government intervention to turn around a council in “total turmoil”.

The group has called the urgent meeting for the first time in their history to put forward a motion of no confidence in the Conservative leadership.

Labour say a failing children’s service, which has been rated inadequate by Ofsted and moved into the hands of Essex County Council, means children “are not safe”.

“Continual cuts”, including a need to reduce the council’s budget by £60 million over the next three years, puts the council in a “serious and perilous position”.

And at the meeting at 10am on Thursday (October 19), Labour councillors will demand internal running of the council is now taken out of their hands.

For the full story, click here.

DUDLEY has been named the worst area for schooling in the West Midlands, with 18 per cent of schools inspected failing to meet Ofsted expectations, new research has revealed.

Research by Theknowledgeacademy.com has considered official Ofsted reports, released at the end of September, to reveal the state of schools across the region and which parts of England have the most highly rated schools.

Ofsted data from August 2017 showed 2,274 (11 per cent) of schools across the country were deemed inadequate or requiring improvement.

In the West Midlands, 2,313 schools were inspected and 289 institutions (12 per cent) were considered inadequate or requiring improvement.

But Dudley was hailed the worst area for schooling in the region - with 18 per cent of schools inspected not living up to Ofsted expectations.

Read more here.

A CIDER maker has been left stumped after 21 fruit trees were chopped in half by vandals.

Steve Cooper, owner of Tardebigge Cider on Alcester Road, returned from holiday on Tuesday night (October 10) to discover all but one of his orchard trees had been vandalised.

The trees were planted with help from local school children in 2012 to celebrate the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Children often return to pick them, but it may take up to 10 years for the orchards to recover and produce their apples, plums and pears again.

Click here to read more.

LEGENDARY Black Country comedy duo Aynuk and Ayli now have a room named after them at Netherton Arts Centre.

The reading room, traditionally used as the bar at the Northfield Road venue, has been renamed the Aynuk and Ayli Reading Room by Dudley Council.

A plaque was unveiled today (Friday) ahead of Aynuk’s 80th birthday, while two huge panels now adorn the walls, telling the tale of the duo’s rise to fame.

Aynuk, otherwise known as Alan Smith, from Netherton, was present for the unveiling along with friends and family.

Read more here.