Claire Harrison

Plans have been submitted to Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council to extend the covered external area at The Smoking Bull restaurant in Attleborough, Nuneaton. The proposal would demolish the existing canopy roof and extend the area toward the redesigned beer garden. It follows an earlier approved extension and comes as the restaurant continues to grow from a lockdown-started venture into a popular regional business.

The final stage of the 2026 Lloyds Tour of Britain Women will take place in Warwickshire on Sunday, August 23. Starting and finishing in Leamington, the 77-mile route will pass through Kenilworth, Wellesbourne, Shipston-on-Stour and Southam, with climbs at Sun Rising Hill and Burton Dassett Hills Country Park and a sprint at Friz Hill. Key viewing points and estimated timings are provided, including the Leamington finish near Jephson Gardens at approximately 2:30 p.m.

Nuneaton Carnival's new wellbeing area, operated with local NHS officials from a double-decker bus, prompted a woman to seek urgent hospital treatment after a health check; she said the intervention saved her life. The town-centre venue was well received by carnival-goers and businesses and is expected to continue next year. The event also raised more than £3,000 through procession collections, supporting several local and national charities.

The M6 will be fully closed in both directions between junctions 4 and 4A, including the M42 junction 7A link to the M6 southbound, from 9pm on Friday, August 21, until 6am on Monday, August 24, for HS2 bridge installation work on the South Viaduct project in Solihull. Diversions will route motorists via the M42, with separate arrangements for northbound, southbound and M42-to-M6 southbound traffic.

Students across Coventry and Warwickshire celebrated their GCSE results on August 20, 2026, with schools reporting strong or improved outcomes across English, maths, sciences, humanities and vocational subjects. Nationally, 22% of GCSE entries received grades 7/A or above and 67.3% achieved grade 4/C or above, broadly returning the latter measure to its 2019 level. Individual schools highlighted record numbers of top grades and strong English and maths passes, while Warwickshire County Council reported an encouraging early picture. PET-Xi Training said 75 young people who had struggled to engage with education gained qualifications, with most progressing to further education or employment. Students were encouraged to seek support from schools, colleges, the Shaw Trust and the National Careers Service if their results did not meet expectations.

A woman believed to be in her 70s was found dead in a lake off Bayton Road in Exhall after emergency services were called on the morning of August 20. Police and ambulance crews attended, but advanced life support could not save her. Nearby roads were cordoned off during the investigation, relatives were informed, and Warwickshire Police said the death was not being treated as suspicious; a file will be prepared for the coroner.

Plans have been submitted to demolish the fire-damaged former Applegarth Care Home on Brownshill Green Road in Coundon and replace it with seven three-bedroom homes. The proposal includes parking, access, landscaping, drainage and cycle storage. Developers argue that redeveloping the previously developed Green Belt site would reduce the overall building footprint and preserve the area’s openness under National Planning Policy Framework provisions. Coventry City Council’s planning officers are considering the application, with a final decision still pending.

Warwickshire County Council is consulting on plans to install enforceable double yellow lines on sections of Bridge Street, Bull Ring and The Waterway in Nuneaton. The restrictions would prohibit parking and stopping at any time, with fines possible for violations. Residents can submit written objections or supporting representations to the council before a final decision is made.

Tributes have been paid to former Nuneaton and Bedworth mayor and Labour councillor John Glass, who died aged 74. A proud Scot who made the borough his home, Glass served the Bedworth Poplar and Heath wards and was mayor from 1996 to 1997. During his mayoral year, he raised funds for the borough's first Life Education caravan, which provided drug and health education in local schools. The council will lower its flag on the day of his funeral, which will take place at the Heart of England Crematorium on August 24, followed by a celebration of his life.

Warwickshire will host the final stage of the Lloyds Tour of Britain Women on Sunday, August 23, with the race starting and ending in Leamington Spa and passing through towns including Kenilworth, Wellesbourne, Shipston-on-Stour and Southam. The event will require extensive road closures and parking restrictions across Leamington Spa and along the route, with restrictions beginning as early as August 22 and closures lasting through the day on August 23.

Police raided a house in Warwick, Warwickshire, after reports that drugs had been thrown into a prison in Wiltshire. Bodycam footage showed officers entering through a front window and finding bags of drugs and a suspected prison “throwover kit.” Three people were arrested, including a 39-year-old man and a 17-year-old boy from Warwick on suspicion of possessing Class A drugs with intent to supply. Investigations remain ongoing.

A free family fun day at The Dingle in Camp Hill on August 22 will launch the local Pride in Place programme, which has secured £20 million over ten years for community improvements. The event will feature free hot-air-balloon rides, fairground activities, food and entertainment. Residents will also be invited to share their priorities for spending the funding, while the newly formed Pride in Place Camp Hill Board seeks to expand the investment area to include nearby communities and facilities.

A temporary left-turn ban from Chace Avenue into London Road in Coventry will begin at 7 p.m. on August 26, 2026, to allow the London Road Cycleway Scheme and associated works to proceed safely. The restriction is expected to remain until March 31, 2027, with exemptions for emergency, works and local-access vehicles. Lythalls Lane and Brays Lane will also close from August 21 to August 31 for related safety works, while emergency and reasonable local access will be maintained.

Blue Bell Woods Day Nursery in Binley Woods has been sold for an undisclosed fee after founder Nerys Evans announced her retirement. Evans established the nursery in 2014 and grew it into a thriving setting with a Good Ofsted rating. The confidential sale was handled by Christie & Co, with experienced operator Kartik Patel acquiring the business through Sneakers Childcare Ltd. Patel said he plans to build on the nursery's reputation, outdoor space and dedicated staff while continuing its nurturing service to local families.

Euro-Fitting UK Ltd, part of tyre-wheel assembly specialist Eurofit Group, has applied for permission to build an ancillary storage unit at its site on Prologis Park Coventry. The company currently employs six people but expects to reach 53 employees once fully operational. The proposed grey aluminium-frame building would occupy hard-standing yard space and is intended to support the firm’s expansion. Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council is considering the application.

New no-waiting-at-any-time restrictions have come into force at the junctions of Clara Street, Dean Street, Gresham Street, Hamilton Road, Harley Street, Kingsway and Marlborough Road in Coventry. The double-yellow-line restrictions are intended to improve access for larger vehicles and make routes to local amenities safer for pedestrians. The traffic order can still be legally challenged in the High Court.

Nuneaton Carnival will take place on Sunday, August 16, 2026, with the procession starting at 12:30pm from Caldwell Road and ending on Harefield Road in the town centre. The route has changed because of roadworks on Justice Walk, with the procession diverting via Vicarage Street. Rolling road closures will affect Attleborough Road, Vicarage Street and Jubilee Way, while town-centre car parks will also close. The event will feature nine floats, three bands, Ecuadorian dancers, American cars, 121 Squadron, stalls, live music, fairground rides, food, a wellbeing area and a dog show.

Year 5 pupil Charlie helped his family escape a house fire in Hatton after an electrical fuse-box blaze broke out in May. He remembered lessons from a recent visit to the Safeside fire-safety centre, used wet towels to slow the spread of smoke, helped everyone leave safely and called 999. No one was injured, and Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service and West Midlands Fire Service jointly awarded him a Chief Fire Officer’s Meritorious Action Award. Fire officers and Charlie’s parents emphasized the importance of smoke alarms, evacuation plans and practical fire-safety education.

Students across Coventry and Warwickshire celebrated receiving their 2026 A-Level results amid extreme heat. Schools and colleges reported strong grades and successful university and apprenticeship applications, with photographs showing celebrations at institutions across the region.

A man reportedly suffered superficial neck wounds in a stabbing on Dark Lane in Bedworth on August 13, 2026. Warwickshire Police arrested a 57-year-old man nearby on suspicion of attempted murder and questioned him in custody. Police said the incident was isolated and posed no wider risk to the public, while additional officers were deployed in the area.

Students across Coventry and Warwickshire received A-level, BTEC and T-level results, with schools reporting strong or improved attainment and many pupils securing university places, apprenticeships, employment or further training. Coventry City Council reported increases in A* and A*-E results, while Warwickshire County Council described the county's performance as successful. Standout achievements included a student at the National Mathematics and Science College earning five A* grades, record A* performance at Bablake School, and strong results at schools including King Henry VIII, Finham Park, Rugby High and Cardinal Wiseman. Nationally, UCAS reported a record 262,820 UK 18-year-olds accepted onto degree courses.

A Section 35 dispersal notice covering Leamington town centre took effect at 5:30 p.m. on August 12 and remains in force until 5:29 p.m. on August 13. The order followed reports of shop thefts, objects being thrown in the street and antisocial behaviour affecting businesses and residents. Leamington Police said officers would conduct high-visibility patrols and could order groups to leave, with non-compliance potentially leading to arrest and court proceedings.

A political row has erupted over the cancellation of a meeting about severe potholes in Bedworth, including the dangerous road known as The Trench. Labour MP Rachel Taylor accused Warwickshire County Council leader George Finch of cancelling the meeting to campaign for Reform leader Nigel Farage in Clacton and prioritising his political career over residents. Finch confirmed he had been campaigning but said personal reasons forced him to cancel, defended his work on the road problems and responded with personal criticism of Taylor, predicting she would lose her seat at the next general election.

Nuneaton and Bedworth Borough Council is considering an application to replace two long-standing paper-and-paste advertising boards on Midland Road, near the bottom of Tuttle Hill, with two freestanding D48 digital displays showing rotating static advertisements. The proposed panels would retain the existing dimensions, and the application argues that the site’s urban, mixed-use character and existing advertising make it suitable. Planning officers are reviewing application 26/0079/ADV.

A wildfire in scrubland and woodland off Hillcrest Road in Nuneaton’s Camp Hill area scorched trees and smouldered for several hours. Crews from Nuneaton and Atherstone fought the blaze for around three hours, returned later to dampen hotspots identified with thermal imaging, and conducted a further inspection the next morning. The incident was closed after no remaining pockets of fire were found. The report also references a separate suspected arson incident near the AA44 and highlights the unusually high number of open-fire call-outs facing local firefighters.

A teenage girl sustained potentially serious injuries in a stabbing on Roselands Avenue, Coventry, and was taken to hospital after receiving treatment at the scene. A woman with less serious injuries declined hospital treatment, while another teenage girl was assessed for an unrelated incident and also declined further care. Emergency services attended shortly after 10:20 p.m., and West Midlands Police had not yet provided a comment.

Coventry motorists are warned of temporary closures on eight roads between August 12 and August 21, with some works continuing into September. The closures are required for water, gas, telecommunications and resurfacing projects, and are scheduled to finish between August 13 and September 1.

Police have urged the public not to organize independent searches for missing Rugby schoolgirls Angelica and Verity, aged 11 and 12, warning that untrained groups could risk the investigation. The girls disappeared together on August 8 and were last seen in Newbold around 4am on August 9. Officers are conducting house-to-house inquiries, CCTV checks and digital tracking, and have asked anyone who sees the girls or knows where they are to call 999 immediately.

An air ambulance landed at the Grayson Place development in Nuneaton town centre after a customer at a café suffered a medical emergency on August 7. Nuneaton Business Improvement District staff provided first aid, obtained a nearby defibrillator and contacted emergency services. Ground paramedics treated the patient and took them to hospital, while the air ambulance crew was stood down because additional support was not needed. Warwickshire Police assisted with crowd management.

Emergency services responded to reports of a man in the water near Nuneaton bus station at 5:25 p.m. on August 9. The man was pulled from the water, believed to be part of the River Anker, and taken by ambulance to George Eliot Hospital for precautionary checks. Warwickshire Police and Warwickshire Fire and Rescue Service also attended, while police had not provided a comment at the time of publication.

The Phoenix pub on Gosford Street in Coventry will close after trading through the weekend of September 6, ending the building’s association with the city’s pub scene dating back to the 1700s. Formerly known for decades as The Colin Campbell, the venue’s closure has prompted emotional tributes to its history, staff, events and role in the local community.