Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

A fresh appeal has been launched to find a man from Hemel Hempstead who hasn't been seen for 18 years. 

Andrew Bateman went missing from his home on Lawn Lane on 12 April 1999. He was 27 at the time. 

His family are "desperate" to find him say the police, external and they just want to know he is "happy, safe and well".

It's thought Andrew, who also had the nicknames Leaf and Leafy, may have gone to London. 

Image source, Hertfordshire Police

Jane Killick
BBC Three Counties Radio

A overheated computer led to a small fire at a Buckinghamshire home. 

Firefighters were called to Trenchard Avenue, Wendover, at about 05:30 after the laptop that was left on charge overnight set fire to some paper.

The family were woken by the smoke alarm and left safely.

Image source, Bucks and MK Fire

Crews have attended similar incidents, external in Stone and Thornborough in recent times.

Dani Bailey
BBC Local Live

A Bletchley Park mathematician is being recognised this weekend, 100 years after his birth. 

Bill Tutte, a Cambridge graduate from Newmarket, helped to unravel the Lorenz machine, which was a more complex system than the Enigma and used by the German high command.

Dr David Kenyon, the research historian at Bletchley Park near Milton Keynes, said his role was "important and little known" as he was such a "modest man". 

He explained that he came to the park from Cambridge University aged 24 and worked as a codebreaker in a department that had so far been unable to crack the code. 

In Tutte's memoirs he wrote "as an act of desperation, they gave it to me", and just a few months later he broke it. 

Image source, Richard Youlden

After the war he was appointed a fellow at Trinity College, Cambridge, before emigrating to Canada. 

He died on 2 May 2002, aged 84. 

Image source, Shaun Armstrong

The Bill Tutte Symposium, external is on Sunday (his birthday) at Bletchley and Bill Tutte: Mathematician + Codebreaker opens to the general public on Monday. 

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

...but it looks like it ran away.

This little one was found in the Stopsley area of Luton. 

A new waste plant is turning food waste into fertiliser and energy.

The anaerobic digestion plant in London Colney will convert 48,000 tonnes of organic waste per year.

Operations began in December 2016 and the plant, run by Agrivert, has been taking waste from North London, Essex and Hertfordshire.

By processing 48,000 tonnes of waste a year, the plant should generate 3MW of electricity, which would be enough energy to supply more than 5,900 homes.

Phil Shepka
BBC Sport

League One and Two clubs have voted to retain invited under-21 teams in the Checkatrade Trophy for two more seasons, along with an increase in prize money and changes to selection rules.

In a one-season trial, 16 Premier League and Championship under-21 sides were added to the 2016-17 tournament.

Clubs voted on three options: keeping academy teams, reverting to the old 48-team format or ending the competition.

Two-thirds of clubs lent their support to the 64-team format.

Image source, Luton Town Football Club

Luton manager Nathan Jones, who was critical of this season's team selection criteria, said he was "pleased our feedback has been taken on board".

The club was fined £15,000 for failing to field full-strength sides in the EFL Trophy, with 12 clubs in total being punished. 

MK Dons was also fined £3,000. 

Jones continued: "Just as importantly though, the EFL have assured clubs that it isn't the thin end of the wedge in terms of Premier League clubs being able to enter B teams into the league.

"I know our supporter groups have been consulted all the way through by the club's board when giving our views, and hopefully any fears they had on that front have been allayed."

After one of the driest Aprils - just 41% of the monthly average rainfall - it was refreshing to see that rain has fallen overnight.

But by how much? Dan Holley's tweet shows the dry spell continues;

Andrew Benson
Chief F1 writer in Bahrain

Stevenage's Lewis Hamilton set the pace as Brackley-based Mercedes impressed in first practice at the Spanish Grand Prix.

Hamilton was 0.029 seconds quicker than team-mate Valtteri Bottas, and a second clear of Ferrari's Kimi Raikkonen and Sebastian Vettel in third and fourth.

Max Verstappen, driving for Milton Keynes-based Red Bull, was fifth, just 0.250secs behind Raikkonen.

McLaren-Honda's dismal season of unreliability continued, with Fernando Alonso sent into a spin by a major engine failure on his first lap.

Image source, Getty Images

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

Liquid, thought to be urine, has been thrown over a man in his 50s.

Police said two boys in their early teens verbally abused the man at Kings Weir in the Lee Valley Park at 16:00 on Tuesday. 

They then left but returned a short time later and threw the liquid over the man. 

They're described as white and aged between 13 and 17 years old. 

One was about 5ft 6in (171cm) tall, of medium build and he wore a grey hooded top and rode a black and green mountain bike. 

The other was 5ft 8in (177cm) tall, of stocky build and he wore all black and also rode a mountain bike.

Rana the tiger's legs had "finally reached the end" after two years of chronic arthritis, the wildlife park says.

Simon Oxley
BBC Three Counties Radio

Luton travel to Blackpool on Sunday for the first leg of their League Two play-off semi-final, along with 1,700 Hatters fans. 

• It's only Luton's second appearance in the Football League play-offs. They lost to Crewe in 1997 in what is now League One. The Hatters lost 2-1 at Gresty Road in the first leg of the semi-final, and then drew 2-2 at home. 
• Luton appeared three times in the Conference play-offs, winning two semi-finals and losing one. They beat Wrexham in 2011 and 2012, but lost to York in 2010. 
• Luton manager Nathan Jones captained Yeovil in the 2007 League One play-off final against Blackpool at Wembley. Blackpool won 2-0. 
• Luton have beaten Blackpool twice this season. They won 2-0 at Blackpool in December, with goals from Jack Marriott and Cameron McGeehan. A late goal from Ollie Palmer gave the Hatters a 1-0 win at Kenilworth Road in April.

Image source, Luton Town Football Club

Simon Oxley
BBC Three Counties Radio

Luton Town, external are continuing their preparations for Sunday's play-off semi-final first leg at Blackpool.

The Hatters finished fourth in League Two with Blackpool bagging the last play-off place after beating Leyton Orient on the final game of the season.

Meanwhile, Leicester manager Craig Shakespeare has played down speculation linking them with Luton's James Justin, following the announcement the two sides will play a friendly in July.

Hatters boss Nathan Jones (below) will give an update on Justin's injury at his pre-match press conference today. 

Image source, Getty Images

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

The judge presiding over yesterday's case at Stevenage Youth Court where a boy was found guilty of stabbing a police dog and his handler has been criticised for banning two journalists from court.

Image source, Hertfordshire Police

District judge Jo Matson said she was not prepared to let "hordes" of reporters in court to cover the case involving PC Dave Wardell and dog Finn (above) because of concerns over the teenager's welfare, and it was the court's discretion to decide how many people could come in.

When asked if there was an area of law related to her instruction, she repeated it was due to concerns over the teen's welfare.

She initially told all five reporters to leave before three were let in - although the prosecutor was already outlining the evidence.

Image source, Google

After confirming the Children and Young Person's Act did not permit such a measure, Press Association reporter Ryan Hooper and another local journalist then re-entered the court but were told to leave immediately by the judge.

After protests to the Judicial Communications Office and the HM Courts and Tribunals Service, Mr Hooper was allowed in 80 minutes later, but the trial's key witness had already given evidence and left. 

Ms Matson said: "I wasn't excluding [Mr Hooper] in any way, I want to make that clear to you - but the court can control the number of people that can come in." 

The Press Association said the judge was wrong to keep journalists out of court and there was a statutory right to attend youth court hearings with no limit on how many reporters might be there.

Legal editor Mike Dodd said: "In this case, the District Judge appears to have placed the defendant's welfare above the requirements of open justice."

The teenage boy will be sentenced next month. 

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

St Albans residents took to social media last night to ask what was happening in the city centre, as police helicopters and armed officers from the Metropolitan Police pursued a car.

Image source, South Beds News Agency

Image source, South Beds News Agency

I have spoken to the Met this morning, which confirmed officers from the Enfield Acquisitive Taskforce stopped a car in the city at about 19:30.

A spokesperson said officers arrested a 25-year-old man on suspicion of burglary and took him to a Hertfordshire police station for questioning.

He was wanted in connection with an aggravated burglary in Enfield on 10 May.

Detectives were assisted in stopping the vehicle by firearms officers from Hertfordshire and the Met.

No firearm was discharged and no-one was injured.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

N-Dubz rapper Dappy is due to appear in court this morning accused of assault by beating and possession of a bladed article.

The 29-year-old former Celebrity Big Brother star, whose real name is Costas Contostavlos, of Hatfield, was arrested and charged after an altercation outside his home on Wednesday afternoon.

He has been remanded in custody and is due to appear at Hatfield Remand Court later.

Lee Agnew
BBC Three Counties Radio

Thames Valley Police has made a renewed appeal to find a prisoner who's absconded from HMP Spring Hill in Buckinghamshire.

Image source, Thames Valley Police

James Delahoyde (above), 40, who's serving time for drug offences, is the third inmate to go missing in a month. He was last seen at the open prison on 21 April.

He's described as white, with receding dark brown hair and was wearing dark trousers and a dark long sleeved top.

Another prisoner, Mark Merchant, 40, is also missing since absconding on 4 April. A third man, robber Jayvan Burton, who failed to return on 16 April has been located and is now back in custody.

Elizabeth Rizzini
BBC Look East weather

It's a damp and grey start to the day, with some showers still to clear across the BBC East region.

We can expect sunny spells later, with showers - these could be heavy in places, with the chance of thunder.

Top temperature: 19C (66F).

As for the weekend - tomorrow's looking mostly dry and warm. After a wet start to Sunday, there'll be sunny spells and showers through the afternoon.

BBC Weather has a local forecast for where you live.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

Good morning and welcome to Friday's live page for the three counties where, as we hurtle towards the weekend, we'll be bringing you the latest news, sport, travel and weather until 18:00.

As BBC Weather Watcher Pauline's view's picture shows, this morning it could not look more different from yesterday's warm sunshine - but a regional forecast will be coming up to let you know if the grey drizzle will continue.

Meanwhile, you can contact us at any time via email, Facebook, external or Twitter, external.   

Sarah Jenkins
BBC Local Live

Thanks for your company.

We'll be back from 08:00 on Friday with the latest news, weather, travel and sport updates - but any breaking news will be posted here overnight.

As always if you want to get in touch, you can via email, Facebook, external or Twitter, external.  

Before we go, we'll leave you with a lovely video of hero police dog Finn enjoying his retirement.

A teenager from London has admitted criminal damage after stabbing him in Stevenage.

The handler of a police dog who was stabbed in the line of duty has been speaking of the "harrowing ordeal".

A teenage boy has been found guilty of stabbing PD Finn and wounding his handler during a chase.

PC Dave Wardell and his German shepherd were attacked in Stevenage in October while responding to a robbery.

The 16-year-old from London, who cannot be named because of his age, was found guilty of actual bodily harm against PC Wardell and criminal damage in relation to PD Finn.

Image source, Hertfordshire Police

PC Wardell said: "I am very grateful to Finn for his response and bravery in a very dangerous situation where the suspect had a knife in his possession.

"This was a harrowing ordeal for both of us and I cannot thank the public and my police colleagues enough for their support during this difficult time."

Hertfordshire's Chief Constable Charlie Hall said: "Thankfully, both PC Wardell and PD Finn have made a fantastic recovery, but this incident should serve as yet another reminder of the dangers frontline officers and police dogs face every day."