Lee Agnew
BBC Three Counties Radio

Here are the top stories we're looking at this morning:

• The clinical commissioning group covering Hemel Hempstead has said it is considering the "possibility of a new hospital"
• A man in his 20s has died after being hit by a car in Borehamwood at the weekend
• Former Herts schoolboy Sam Smith wins Oscar

Laura Devlin
BBC News

The body of a goose allegedly shot dead at point-blank range in Hertfordshire has been exhumed by police for a post-mortem examination.

Image source, Gay Ayton

The white goose, known as Grumpy Gertie, was well-known in Sandon and appears on the village sign. Villagers claimed he was shot at the pond on 21 February by a gang in a 4x4.

Hertfordshire Police said the body was now with the Royal Veterinary College with a post-mortem examination expected to take place at the end of the week.

Carol Abercrombie
BBC Three Counties Radio

The extent of the recruitment problems facing the NHS in Beds, Herts and Bucks have been revealed in figures obtained by the BBC.

Image source, PA Wire

The figures, obtained through a Freedom of Information request and which are a snapshot from December 2015, show that 1,255 nursing posts were vacant in our six hospital trusts. The highest number was in West Hertfordshire, external where more than 300 are needed at the trust.

There are vacancies for nearly 300 doctors in hospitals, with the highest number at the Luton and Dunstable Hospital, external which has 84 vacant posts.

Lee Agnew
BBC Three Counties Radio

The Hertfordshire Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group, external (CCG) said it was considering "the possibility of a new hospital" to serve the Hemel Hempstead area but there were also "other proposals on the table".

Image source, West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust

The group was responding to claims from the Dacorum Patients Group which said that since the closure of Hemel's A&E in 2009, Watford General (pictured) has been unable to cope.

Dr Nicholas Small, chairman of the CCG, said: "We've got to put [all the proposals] through scrutiny... there's a limited pot of money and we have to be absolutely sure that we can afford it."

BBC Travel

The A5 in Markyate has been closed in both directions between the B4540 Lynch Hill junction and the Dunstable Road junction due to an accident.

Get the latest updates from BBC Travel.

Dani Bailey
BBC Local Live

A robot is being developed to mimic a diabetic toddler to help children recognise symptoms of the condition.

Robin, short for "Robot Infant", is being developed at the University of Hertfordshire, external and can speak words including "hungry" and "hug me". Developers said it was aimed at children aged seven to 12 to help youngsters learning to manage diabetes.

Diabetes UK, external said it had "been watching the development of Robin with great interest".

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

Fire crews have extinguished a fire in a flat in Kensworth this morning.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, external said it received a call about the blaze in Ridgeway just before 08:00.

Firefighters are still at the scene clearing smoke from the property and an investigation into the cause will be carried out this morning. There is no news of any casualties at the moment.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

Sam Smith, who went to school in Bishop's Stortford, has won an Oscar for Writing's On The Wall, his song for the latest James Bond film Spectre - which was filmed at Pinewood Studios in Buckinghamshire.  

Image source, Getty Images

The singer from Great Chishill, who picked up the gong for best original song in Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre overnight, said he could not breathe as he picked up his award and described his fellow nominees as "incredible".

Smith, who won the award jointly with composer Jimmy Napes, dedicated his award to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community.

Lee Agnew
BBC Three Counties Radio

Police are appealing for witnesses after a man in his 20s died after being hit by a car in Borehamwood at the weekend.

It happened on Allum Lane shortly after 20:00 on Saturday.

Lee Agnew
BBC Three Counties Radio

Bedfordshire Police, external are appealing for information about an armed robbery at Wixams, near Bedford, on Sunday.

Two men with their faces covered threatened staff at Budgens in Brooklands Avenue at 07:00 and stole cigarettes and alcohol.   

Lee Agnew
BBC Three Counties Radio

Campaigners in Hemel Hempstead are calling for a new accident and emergency department to be opened in the town

Image source, Google

Dacorum Patients Group, external says that since the closure of the town's A&E in 2009, the alternative in Watford has been unable to cope with demand. 

Jan Maddern said a new hospital should be built to serve Watford, Hemel and St Albans on land near J8 of the M1 which "would be perfect... everybody could get there".

Kate Kinsella
BBC Look East weather

Today will be frosty at first but turn into a fine morning with plenty of sunshine, turning hazy this afternoon.

Maximum temperature: 7C (45F). 

Get more on the forecast where you live from BBC Weather.    

BBC Travel

There's heavy traffic on the anti-clockwise M25 between J28 for the A12 and J25 for the A10 due to an earlier broken-down vehicle. Travel time through that stretch is about 40 minutes.

Get the latest updates from BBC Travel.

Lee Agnew
BBC Three Counties Radio

Here are the top stories we're looking at this morning:

• Campaigners in Hemel Hempstead are calling for a new casualty department to be opened to serve the town
• Police are appealing for information about an armed robbery at Wixams in Bedfordshire at the weekend
•  A man in his 20s has died after being hit by a car in Borehamwood

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

Welcome to today's live page for the three counties where we'll bring you the latest news, sport, weather, travel and best of social media from now until 18:00.

It's Leap Year Day, where traditionally women are allowed to propose to men, although in reality it just means we have to wait an extra day before we can get to Christmas.

If you'd like to get in touch, you can tweet, external us or email us here.