BBC Weather

There's a lot of cloud about in the BBC Look East region this morning especially the further north you are, and where it it thickest we may get a light shower.

As we get into the afternoon the cloud will thin and break bringing spells of sunshine.

Temperatures reaching 23C (73F), although it will be cooler on the coast.

BBC Weather has more local forecasts.

Sarah Jenkins
BBC Local Live

Good morning and welcome back to Local Live across Beds, Herts and Bucks.

We'll be here until 18:00 with the latest news, sport, weather and travel for your local area.

The full weather forecast will be with you shortly, but it looks as though it's going to be a mostly dry and bright day.

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

Wycombe Wanderers sign centre-back Adam El-Abd on a one-year contract following his release by Shrewsbury Town.

An inquest has heard Thomas Morris sought mental health care before his death.

National League side Leyton Orient sign former Stevenage midfielder Charlie Lee on a two-year contract.

That's it for our live coverage today. We'll be back tomorrow from 08:00.

Scroll back through today's feed for anything you may have missed.

Any breaking news from around Beds, Herts and Bucks will still appear on this page overnight.

Have a great evening.

Julie Reinger
BBC Look East weather

The last of any showers should quickly clear to leave a mainly dry night across the BBC East region with variable amounts of cloud and light winds.

Most places staying in double figures overnight with temperatures no lower than 11C (52F).

Tuesday will be largely fine and dry, although cloud is likely to thicken from the south during the day.

Any showers will be very isolated and mainly in the north of the region accompanied by light winds.

Maximum temperature: 22C (72F)

More details for where you are from BBC Weather.

League Two side Luton Town sign former AFC Wimbledon goalkeeper James Shea on a one-year deal.

Gail Sanderson
BBC Three Counties Radio

A former power boat racing world champion has been injured while competing at Stewartby Lake in Bedfordshire.

The former three-time UIM F2 world champion Colin Jelf was taking part in round four of the UIM F4 World Championship, external on Sunday when he was involved in a collision.

A Jelf Racing spokesman said he was in a "critical, but stable condition" in hospital.

"Thank you to all the officials and safety team for your assistance and swift response," he said.

Colin's son, Ben, was taking part in the same championships.

Donor Paul Rogers thought it would be "amazing" to have the man whose life he saved at his wedding.

Nicola Haseler
BBC Three Counties

Today I'm at an inquest which is continuing into the death of a prisoner found hanging in his cell at HMP Woodhill, in Milton Keynes.

Image source, South Beds News Agency

It began last Monday, but today was moved to Amersham Crown Court so prisoners who knew Thomas Morris could give evidence via video link.

We've been hearing how other inmates thought Thomas Morris, 31, who had a history of substance misuse, anxiety and depression, should have had more help. He was found hanged in June 2016.

We heard first from an inmate who was in the cell next door who said Morris thought his cell was haunted and he was being followed by a magpie.

He said he was surprised Morris was in a cell on his own, as usually they prefer someone to be with another inmate who can keep an eye on them.

The inquest continues this afternoon and is due to conclude on Wednesday.

Mariam Issimdar
BBC News

Police say they're worried about the welfare of a family from Canvey, who have gone missing.

Image source, Essex Police

Image source, Essex Police

Image source, Essex Police

Cheryl Wilkins disappeared on Wednesday with sons, Dylan, who's four-years-old, and two-year-old Leo.

It's thought they all may be in the company of their father Damien Barnes.

Det Insp Anna Grainger says: "We need to find Cheryl and the two boys to make sure they are safe.

"Obviously their welfare and well-being is our main priority and in order to make sure that is okay, we need to find them."

Cheryl and her children were seen on a train travelling from Benfleet to Barking on the day they were reported missing and both Cheryl and Damien have links to St Albans and South Ockendon.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

The Watford Colosseum, external has been recognised today for its contribution to musical heritage in the UK.

Here's a bit more about the venue...

Image source, Google

• It was built in 1938 as the Watford Town Hall Assembly Rooms to the design of architect Charles Cowles-Voysey and acoustician Hope Bagenal.
• Bagenal's other acoustic projects include the refurbishment of the Royal Albert Hall and the construction of the Royal Festival Hall.
• The Watford concert venue is world-renowned for its acoustic qualities. They were analysed by an acoustics company in 2009, which reported that the size and "shoebox" shape of the hall, the flat floor, and the materials used in construction, allowed for "pleasant reverberation and good sound quality and clarity, such to make the hall among the best in Europe".

• Julian Lloyd Webber described Watford Colosseum as "the finest recording venue in the world".
• It has been used to record the soundtracks of Lord of the Rings, The Sound of Music and Star Wars.
• In 1995, Pavarotti recorded Verdi's Inno delle Nazioni with the Philharmonia Chorus at the venue.
• More recently, recordings of the BBC Concert Orchestra have taken place in the auditorium.
• The stage has seen performances from Elton John, The Faces (including Ronnie Wood and Rod Stewart), Genesis (with drummer Phil Collins), Marc Bolan, Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra, One Direction, Robbie Williams, Jools Holland, Mel C, Oasis and more.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

A blue plaque to celebrate a Watford music hall where soundtracks for Star Wars and Lord of the Rings were recorded has been unveiled.

The plaque was revealed at Watford Colosseum, which was built in 1938 and is renowned for its acoustics.

BBC Music and local radio stations in England have teamed up with the British Plaque Trust to unveil 47 plaques celebrating musicians and venues.

Watford Colosseum was the choice for BBC Three Counties listeners in the Watford area.

The plaque was unveiled by the town's elected mayor Dorothy Thornhill, who tweeted, external she was "proud to be celebrating" its place in musical history...

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

Buckinghamshire singer Tony Hadley has announced he has left 1980s pop group Spandau Ballet and "will not be performing" with them in the future.

Image source, Getty Images

In a statement, the singer, who lives just outside Aylesbury, said: "I am required to state that I am no longer a member of the band."

He did not indicate why he was leaving, but blamed "circumstances beyond my control".

The group, who scored hits with True and Gold, broke up acrimoniously in the 1990s but reformed in 2009.

No doubt fans across the region will be distraught by the news, but some on Twitter have responded with good humour, quoting some of Spandau's more memorable lyrics.

"You'll notice it [the statement] is only one sentence," said one user. "I think @TheTonyHadley found it hard to write the next line."

Wish I'd thought of that!

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

So, Wimbledon has just kicked off - if you can kick off in tennis - which I suspect you can't?!

To get you in the mood, Waddesdon Manor has tweeted, external a photograph of Albert Edward, Prince of Wales, playing tennis on the north front at Waddesdon in the late 19th Century.

A spokesman for the manor told me it was likely it was taken at one of Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild's famous weekend parties, which were attended by politicians, socialites and celebrities.

Get all the live action from Wimbledon at BBC Sport.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

Police in Hertfordshire are trying to reunite more than 600 power tools with their rightful owners after about £50,00-worth of tools were seized in a specialist operation.

Image source, Hertfordshire Police

Earlier this month in Broxbourne five vehicles were broken into and intelligence led officers to a storage unit in the Manor Park area in the London Borough of Newnham.

Inside they discovered hundreds of power tools, which are believed to have been stolen.

One of four men arrested in connection with the find was charged with conspiracy to steal and released on bail. The others have been released pending further investigations.

Police said the countyhad experienced a 22% rise in thefts from motor vehicles compared to this time last year.

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

A stem cell donor knew there was only one person he wanted to ask to be best man at his wedding - the man whose life he saved more than a decade ago.

Paul Rogers, 51, (pictured right) donated his stem cells to Brett Dingwall (left), 67, after the latter was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia (AML).

About 10 years later, Brett joined Paul and his wife Laura as the pair were married at St Paul's Walden in Hertfordshire.

Image source, Anthony Nolan Trust

Engineer Paul, from Pirton, joined the Anthony Nolan stem cell register after his father was diagnosed with leukaemia. Sadly, his father wasn't able to find a lifesaving donor and passed away 26 years ago.

Retired boat-builder Brett, from Bricket Wood, was diagnosed with AML while on holiday in Monaco in October 2006. He began treatment at the Royal Marsden Hospital and was told his last chance of survival would be a stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor.

Paul was found to be a perfect match for Brett – 16 years after he signed up.

The pair exchanged cards and letters and, after the two-year prescribed anonymity window, exchanged contact details and met up. Both said the meeting was "amazing".

Paul said: "Brett is such a caring and amazing person. I'm so proud to be his friend and it was incredible to think that he'd be there on my wedding day.

"It seems incredible that I saved my best friend's life before I even knew him."

Brett said: "When Paul asked if I'd be his best man, he knew I owed him more than that – I owed him my life."

Katy Lewis
BBC Local Live

As the Herts Valley Clinical Commissioning Group agrees to upgrade Watford and St Albans hospitals instead of building a new facility, Hemel Hempstead MP Mike Penning says the campaign for a new hospital will continue.

"They seem absolutely fixated with piling everything into Watford and no-one agrees that the site in Watford is the right place," he said.

"The has to be approved by NHS England... so we will go to NHS England and put the arguments to them."

Image source, Google

The Herts Valleys CCG chair, Dr Nicolas Small, said its decision was a "big step towards our ambitions to provide improved hospital facilities".

He said the upgrades would be complemented by a "wide range of more local, joined-up services" to meet the "majority of people's health and care needs, close to where they live".

"What we have said is that our priority and duty is to develop a workable proposal that we feel is realistic and capable of being delivered in a very challenging financial climate," he said.

"We have, just this week, received a letter from our NHS regulators that stresses the need for our plans to be affordable."

Carol Abercrombie
BBC Three Counties Radio

Watford and St Albans hospitals are to be upgraded under plans agreed by health leaders in Hertfordshire.

Image source, West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust

The Herts Valleys Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has formally approved the proposal to redevelop the existing hospital sites rather than building a new hospital on a greenfield site near Kings Langley.

The move has been condemned by campaigners, who fear services at Hemel Hempstead Hospital - the other facility that comes under the West Hertfordshire Hospitals NHS Trust (WHHT) - will be downgraded.

The CCG and WHHT said the redevelopment of the existing sites would be the "quickest, more straightforward and most cost-effective" plan.

They said they listened to local opinions on a wide range of options over the last 18 months - including a brand new hospital - but felt this was the best option.