Facebook

The icy pavements are causing concerns in Shropshire this morning from what you've been posting on the BBC Shropshire Facebook page.

Image source, AndyP

Gill Wall wrote, external: "Absolutely dreadful conditions. Why are people risking life and limb because the pavements are so treacherous?"

Glenys Davies posted, external: "Roads are good pavements are awful. Business owners should be responsible for clearing pavements adjacent to their premises."

Andy Smith added, external: "Roads get cleared but pavements never do. Pedestrians are walking on the roads. This is very dangerous for everyone."

BBC WM

A decision taken by council staff in Birmingham not to grit roads until 07:30 this morning has been criticised by callers to BBC WM and Twitter users.

Eddie Fellows from Amey, which provides gritters for the city council, said salt sensors, which were being carefully monitored by the council, were showing "high levels of salt on the network throughout the night."

"We did have a shower of rain come through at about 04:00", he said, "and they made the decision to go until after that rain".

One twitter user said she'd witnessed "buses pulling up at the side of the road, and children slipping over as they cross the road".

"It's an absolute farce", she said.

BBC News Travel

Trains between Crewe and Chester have been suspended this morning because of flooding on the line.

Image source, Network Rail

Virgin Trains and Arriva Trains Wales says their services are affected with replacement buses called into action.

Network Rail says the flooding, external happened at Beeston near Chester and they're using pumps to remove the water.

Image source, Network Rail

An investigation into the deaths of five scrap metal plant workers killed at a plant in Birminghamhas been passed to the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).

The five died when a retaining wall holding scrap metal collapsed at Hawkeswood Metal on Aston Church Road in Nechells in July 2016.

Image source, PA

The victims, four of whom were from Gambia and one of whom was Senegalese were all aged between 40 and 56.

The HSE said it was now "assuming primacy" from West Midlands police in carrying out enquiries, adding that it "remains a criminal investigation".

A West Midlands Police spokesman said following their investigation and consultation with the CPS, it will be passed to the HSE "who will assess if any health and safety laws were breached at the time."

BBC Sport

Warwickshire's Chris Woakes struck with the ball for England but both he and Worcestershire's Moeen Ali failed with the bat in the third Ashes Test.

On day two, Australia's captain Steve Smith helped the home side to 203-3 at stumps, 200 runs behind England.

Image source, Getty Images

Woakes (pictured) removed Usman Khawaja for 50 when he trapped him lbw on a day when England's bowlers toiled.

Earlier, England were dismissed for 403 as Moeen went for a duck and Woakes scored eight runs.

Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

"Don't call us about icy roads" - that's the message Staffordshire Police is tweeting, external this morning.

The force says it's getting a "high volume of calls" relating to ice-affected roads and says that's not its issue but local councils.

Image source, Flash Bar Stores

This morning, there have been several crashes due to the weather including on the exit slip road of the M6 at junction 14 and on the A50 in Blythe Bridge and Checkley.

The force also says a driver's in hospital after a car ended up on its roof on the A500 near Talke.

More than 4,300 calls were made to the ambulance service last night, making it one of the busiest in the trust's history, a spokesperson said.

Image source, West Midlands Ambulance Service

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it dealt with over 3,000 incidents, and are expecting to have an "exceptionally" busy weekend, due to the weather, as well as office parties and pre-Christmas drinking.

The service said it was "well prepared" as planning had been going on for a long time and would be "maximising" all staff.

With temperatures expected to drop again overnight, drinkers are being reminded to stay together, and plan a route home, "it's not the weather to be falling asleep in the street", a spokesperson said.

Allen Cook
BBC News

There have been a large number of crashes on roads across Worcestershire, external due to black ice.

Image source, West Mercia Police

Police in the county say many rural roads are affected , externaland are urging motorists to "drive slowly."

BBC Weather Watchers

Our BBC Weather Watchers have been out capturing the latest snow and ice pictures across the West Midlands.

This one taken in Totmonslow by Farmets Wife shows how much snow there is still around in Staffordshire.

Image source, Farmets Wife

Valerie P said she'd just had to rescue a goldfinch stuck to the ice in her garden in Leek.

Image source, Valerie P

More police are going to be on patrol in the Warwickshire and West Mercia areas on what's expected to be one of the busiest nights of the year.

Christmas parties and drinking are set to dominate town centres tonight.

Police say 37% of violent crime in the forces' areas is alcohol related.

Image source, Thinkstock

"From previous experience, we know which nights are likely to be the busiest over the festive period and we will have extra officers on duty to help keep people safe," Supt Paul Moxley said.

"This is not just officers on the streets - we will also have extra officers in the custody block and in CID."

Allen Cook
BBC News

Hundreds of homes and firms are without power this morning in Staffordshire after icy weather swept the county again.

Image source, Jon

Western Power Distribution says there are 171 places affected in the Stoke-on-Trent area and 42 in Burntwood.

The firm says it could take until 16:30 in some cases to get power back.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Dozens of schools across Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent are closed after overnight snow and ice.

Image source, Videoman

The wintry conditions have affected the whole of the county and many schools say the roads and pavements around them are "treacherous".

As of 10:00, there were 14 schools shut in Staffordshire, external and 23 in Stoke-on-Trent.

BBC News Travel

National Express West Midlands is running a reduced bus service due to the icy conditions.

Full details of its revised service can be found here. , external

Image source, National Express West Midlands

Birmingham Mail

Some of the main stories on the Birmingham Mail website today are:

• This is why Birmingham's roads were not gritted overnight, external
• Trucker jailed for killing man as he watched porn at the wheel, external
• Dying OAP writes to the Queen - and gets reply two days after she passed away, external

BBC Radio Stoke

A woman in her 60s has suffered serious burns in a house fire in Crewe.

The woman was taken to a specialist burns unit on Merseyside after the blaze on Edie Grove, just after 16:00 yesterday, the fire service said.

Ice is still causing problems across the region's roads, especially in Warwickshire and Staffordshire.

The yellow warning for ice, issued by the Met Office, external, remains in place until 11:00 today.

Image source, Met Office

Businessman Mike Garner was diagnosed with prostate cancer and ended up sleeping on an office floor.

Most Virgin West Coast services will still run during today's strike, the company said, but Chester and north Wales will not be served for most of the day.

Image source, Virgin

A replacement bus service will be laid on between Chester and Crewe, due to flooding, and Arriva Trains Wales will accept tickets between Chester and north Wales stations.

Virgin Trains will run two services per hour in each direction between London and Manchester via Stoke.

Passengers have been warned to check their travel arrangements before heading to the station and to expect the services that are running to be busier than normal.

Details of amended services can be found here. , external

BBC Midlands Today

A mother from Worcestershire who lost two sons to heroin is to call for a new approach to drug addiction at a conference in Birmingham today.

Brothers Roland and Jacob Humphries died 11 years apart when they overdosed.

Their mother Rose wants drugs to be made legally available to addicts, in a controlled environment .

She'll speak at a summit organised by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner who says addiction costs the region about £1.4bn a year.

A man had to be cut free from his vehicle after it overturned on the A500 in Staffordshire this morning.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

The crash happened shortly after 01:00 just before junction 16 for the M6.

He was taken to hospital with injuries not believed to be life threatening, the ambulance service said.