Sarah Jenkins
BBC Local Live

Don't be alarmed if you see lots of blue lights heading towards Watford General Hospital this evening - it's hosting a major evacuation exercise.

West Herts Hospitals NHS Trust has told us that Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue and the ambulance service will be taking part in the exercise which will involve pyrotechnics and artificial smoke.

All hospital services will operate as normal throughout the exercise which is taking place between 18:00-21:00.

A man from Luton has died in a collision on the M1 in Northamptonshire. 

The collision, involving a lorry and a construction worker, happened at about 09:00 yesterday within a section of road works on the northbound carriageway, just north of junction 16.  

The 47-year-old construction worker died at the scene. 

Northamptonshire Police is appealing for information.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

A former Bedfordshire head teacher has been cleared of fraud charges he faced after the prosecution announced it would be offering no evidence against him.

Image source, Google

Michael Lavelle, 59, who had denied five counts of fraud, left Luton Crown Court a free man after Judge Barbara Mensah directed not guilty verdicts be entered.

He had been head of Lincroft Middle School in Oakley, near Bedford, since 1998 and resigned last year  

The decision came the day after co-defendant Noel Darlngton, a school caretaker, was told fraud charges against him were also being dropped.

Mr Darlington  43, of Hadfield Court, Victoria Road, Bedford, had denied two charges of fraud.

Announcing that the case against Mr Lavelle was being dropped, prosecutor Ann Evans said that the decision had been reached after a witness, who had originally made the allegations against the men, declined to testify against them.

The witness was "quite clearly not telling the whole truth", the prosecutor said.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

A Hertfordshire woman has denied causing the death of a cyclist following a crowdfunded campaign for a private prosecution.

Gail Purcell, 58, from St Albans, pleaded not guilty at the Old Bailey to causing death by careless driving following a collision with Michael Mason, 70, on Regents Street, London, in 2014.

Mr Mason died 19 days after the collision, having never regained consciousness from his injuries.

Police had declined to refer the case to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and The Cyclists' Defence Fund raised £60,000 from 1,500 donations to pursue the action.

Ms Purcell will face a six-day trial on 3 April and was granted unconditional bail.

Sarah Jenkins
BBC Local Live

The Watford Observer, external is reporting that the town's largest nightclub will change its name from Oceana to Pryzm as part of a £1m revamp.

Image source, Cathy Cox / Geograph

Some of you may be aware that the venue has undergone many name changes over the years.

We've put our heads together here at Local Live and recalled Bailey's, Paradise Lost, Kudos and Destiny - are there any we've missed?

Get in touch on Twitter, external and Facebook, external and let us know.

BBC Weather

Despite the foggy start in some areas across Beds, Herts and Bucks this morning, there will be plenty of sunny spells this afternoon, with most places staying dry, although there is a small chance of catching the odd shower. Highs of 15C (59F).

Phil Shepka
BBC Sport

Yakubu is paying for entry to Boreham Wood matches, according to boss Luke Garrard, who is "trying his hardest" to sign the former Nigeria striker.

Image source, Getty Images

The 33-year-old ex-Everton forward has been training with the National League side since the summer.

The free agent has not signed a deal, but has been teaching younger players.

Garrard told BBC Three Counties Radio: "Yak is courteous, he comes and watches the games, he pays entrance. He's fully on board with what I'm doing and what the club are doing.

"I'm trying my hardest to get him to sign a contract... But as it stands I don't know his current situation in terms of where he's going or what he has planned."

Matthew Lockwood
BBC Three Counties Radio

The latest test of a driverless car is taking place in central Milton Keynes today. It's happening in a pedestrian area opposite the main railway station, but Milton Keynes Council says tests on its roads will happen next year.

Paul Newman of Oxford University, who has worked on the project, said it had taken a "base vehicle" and "made it autonomous".

He said: "It just looks like a normal vehicle. It's obviously got a steering wheel because you might want to drive it yourself, and then it has an iPad that says 'Would you like me to drive you?' - 'me' being the vehicle's software.

"It's an app... if you're driving along it will say 'Would you like autonomy?' and you'd press 'yes' and it will drive you."

David Cox said it had taken a long time to get a successful prosecution of the ageing former staff who worked at the St Francis Boys' Home in Shefford.

Image source, .

He said: "I was very impressed with the police operation this time round and I believe this was the third investigation since the early 1990s.

"It's the first time it's been done in a serious manner and I think that's because of the Jimmy Savile case [watch Louis Theroux's recent BBC Savile documentary here].

"It's now becoming clear that what happened 40-50 years ago was unacceptable then, and is most certainly punishable now."

Image source, South Beds News Agency

David Cox said he had a "strange reaction" to the conclusion of the court cases involving the two abusive former workers at St Francis Boys' Home in Shefford.

Mr Cox, who was abused there in the 1960s, said: "It's not one of victory or joy, it's some satisfaction with the telling of our story that we are finally being believed.

"I believe there's no such thing as 'closure', because it's with you for the rest of your life. It's up to you how you live your life now. 

"The last three years have been exceptionally difficult, not just for me, but for everyone involved including the police and Crown Prosecution Service. 

 "Appearing at the Old Bailey was very nerve-wracking, very emotional and just very hard."

Andrew Woodger
BBC News

One of the victims abused at a Catholic boys' home in Bedfordshire has been remembering his childhood now that court hearings for two men have concluded.

John Cahill, 74, of Chandos Court, Bedford, was jailed for three-and-a-half years for abuse carried out at St Francis Boys' Home in Shefford (pictured since its conversion to flats) in the 1960s.

Another worker, James McCann, 80, of Swaffham, Norfolk, was unfit to stand trial, but a jury at the Old Bailey yesterday found the facts against him to be proven.

David Cox, who now lives in Ipswich, gave evidence and said afterwards: "There was an overall sense of fear; fear of being beaten, fear of being abused. 

"There were good times, I won't deny that, and we had a bonding - there were 60 boys from seven years old to 16 years old and they were like your family and you were all in the same boat - you were all either picked on or not."

Simon Oxley
BBC Three Counties Radio

Government minister and Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning has launched an online petition to NHS England campaigning for a new hospital for west Hertfordshire.

He wants it to be built by junction 20 of the M25 at Kings Langley. 

Last week an NHS report appeared to rule out that plan in favour of redeveloping existing sites in Watford and St Albans.

Mr Penning said it was "madness" to put more money into the Watford site.

In a blog post, external he said: "I find this disgusting and ludicrous.

"The commissioning group have claimed that the new hospital option isn’t cost-effective, but they’ve made that decision while saying they still have to check their sums."

We have asked Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group, external for its response.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

Bucks Fire and Rescue has tweeted, external this amazing picture of Commander Andy Vernon from Broughton giving oxygen to a cat after a fire in Newport Pagnell yesterday evening.

It had breathed in smoke during the blaze which broke out in the kitchen of a property in Cedars Way just before 19:00.

Matthew Lockwood
BBC Three Counties Radio

And here it is - the driverless pod in action.

There is a driver in the car  - but that's for safety reasons - it's still only a test.

Matthew Lockwood
BBC Three Counties Radio

I'm still in Milton Keynes watching the latest test of a driverless car in the pedestrian area outside the town's railway station.

Brian Matthews, the head of transport innovation at Milton Keynes Council, has said tests on the town's roads will happen next year.

He said: "We're also looking at real cars on real roads, so we're working with Jaguar, Land Rover, Ford and Tata... and these will be appearing in the middle of next year and there will be some demonstrations, similar to today but on the roads." 

Dan Holley
BBC Look East weather

Was it the coldest morning of the autumn?

Matthew Lockwood
BBC Three Counties Radio

I'm outside the railway station in central Milton Keynes this morning where the latest test of a driverless car is due to take place - and one has just arrived.

Milton Keynes is one of the national test venues for driverless pods.

Business minister Greg Clark has described today's public trial as a "ground-breaking moment".

The more eagle-eyed of you will notice that there is a driver in the driverless pod. I'm told that this is because it's still being tested and it's just to make sure nothing goes wrong.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

A flat fire in Beaconsfield yesterday lunchtime is believed to have been caused by sunlight reflecting on a make-up mirror and setting curtains alight, the fire service has said, external.  

The blaze started shortly after 13:10 at a property in Ledborough Lane which was severely damaged by fire and smoke. No-one was injured.

Bucks Fire and Rescue tweeted, external some pictures of the internal damage with the permission of the landlord and the resident who "wish to highlight the safety message".

Image source, Bucks Fire and Rescue

Image source, Bucks Fire and Rescue

Image source, Bucks Fire and Rescue

A Public Space Protection Order (PSPO) could be introduced in Luton town centre to tackle anti-social behaviour.

It would mean people receiving a fine if they're caught doing things like drinking in the street, taking new psychoactive substances or feeding the birds.

Our reporter, Matthew Lockwood, has been speaking to local people who say the PSPO is long overdue.

Workers at the NHS walk-in centre in the town say the area has become a hotspot for street drinking and drug-taking.

They say doctors are unable to open their windows as the smell from rubbish and human waste left nearby (pictured) is overwhelming.

Kate Kinsella
BBC Look East weather

A cold start to the day, with patchy fog clearing slowly.

There'll be sunny spells, with scattered showers pushing inland from the North Sea and the easterly breeze will keep it chilly along the coast with temperatures reaching a peak of 15C (59F).

Watch my full regional forecast:

BBC Weather has more details for where you live.