Summary

  • Rail services finishing early

  • Gunman jailed for 12 years for bowling alley siege

  • Freezing weather 'worst in a decade'

  • Several train services suspended

  • Man arrested over grandmother's murder

  • Live updates from Friday 2 March

  • Click on Related Stories to view stories from your area

Live Reporting

  1. Caution urged in snow as universities stay open

    Students at the University of Worcester and Staffordshire University are being told both sites are open today:

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  3. 'Worst in a decade' snow causes huge travel disruption

    Lee Thomas
    Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

    The freezing weather conditions across Staffordshire in the past 24 hours have been described by the county council as some of the "worst in a decade".

    BurntwoodMolly & Jack

    The authority says it's had gritting staff using snow ploughs and snow blowers to clear blocked roads as well as treating them with salt.

    It says the increasingly strong winds have caused snow to drift, causing major issues with some drifts as high as four feet (1.2m).

    Overnight, we've had some of the worst conditions in Staffordshire that we've had for a decade. The operational crews, they're working around the clock, they are doing an absolutely marvellous job."

    Councillor Helen Fisher, Cabinet support member for highways and transport

  4. Gang of masked raiders abandon cash machine in snow

    A gang of masked raiders who stole a cash machine from a shop in Birmingham abandoned it in the snow after dragging it down Edward Road in Balsall Heath.

    The cash machine abandoned in the roadWest Midlands Police

    Armed police responded to witnesses who saw a vehicle smash into Reels Video at about 23:00, before the gang tied the free standing cash machine to two Land Rovers and dragged it away.

    One man, a 22-year-old from Acocks Green, was arrested after the gang fled the scene and one of the cars crashed nearby.

    A police car was rammed as the thieves made their escape, and police are now appealing for witnesses.

  5. Maidstone United game off

    Matt Cole
    Sports Editor, BBC Radio Kent

    Maidstone United's National League match with Solihull Moors tomorrow is the latest sporting fixture to fall foul of the weather.

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  6. Army called in to help NHS

    Andrew Dawkins
    BBC News

    The Army has been deployed in Shropshire to help the local NHS, as sub-zero conditions continue across the county.

    The BBC's Sarah Keith-Lucas gives Friday's weather forecast

    The military's been drafted in across parts of the country to help hospitals and medics as blizzards and more snow have caused chaos.

    In Shropshire, the Army's sent 10 4x4 vehicles and 20 soldiers to provide aid.

  7. Plough to the rescue: Snow makes road impassable

    Vehicles are stuck as snow has made a Birmingham road "impassable".

    These pictures were taken on Egghill Lane in Birmingham by @SnapperSK who said on Twitter that vehicles are stuck and the road conditions are dangerous.

    A plough in the snow, Egghill Lane, Birmingham@SNAPPERSK
    A plough in the snow and stuck cars, Egghill Lane, Birmingham@SNAPPERSK

  8. Council proposes temporary traveller site in Coseley

    Dudley Council has submitted a planning application for a temporary traveller site in Coseley.

    The site, on Budden Road, will cost about £280,000 to convert, but the council says it will drastically cut down the number of illegal encampments, which it says cost £150,000 a year in legal and clean-up costs.

    Local residents have until 24 March to have their say on the plans.

    If successful, the temporary site will be on Budden Road for three years, while the council develops plans for a more permanent site.

  9. 'Vanny McVanface' makes appearance in the snow

    We suspect the Cannabis Disposal Team at West Midlands Police were probably asked to clean this police van.

    Instead, they tweeted that "Vanny McVanface is happy she chose the police as a career instead of being an ice cream van".

    Drawing on snowed over police vanWest Midlands Police

  10. Birmingham Rep Theatre cancels performances

    Birmingham's Rep theatre has announced that performances scheduled for tonight will not go ahead due to deteriorating weather conditions.

    Refunds and ticket exchanges are available for anybody expecting to see The Elephant and The Winslow Boy.

  12. Your comments: Cat and kittens dumped in freezing weather

    We told you yesterday about a cat and four kittens which were found in freezing weather after they'd been dumped in crisp box in a Birmingham park.

    The cat, now called Disco, and her six-week-old kittens - KP, NikNak, Pringle and Skip - are being cared for by staff and doing well.

    Many of you have been outraged by this and commented over on the BBC Midlands Facebook page.

    Cat and kittensRSPCA

    Stephen Duce said: "I hope that those responsible are found and punished."

    Pam Watkins commented: "Really don't understand. If you can't cope, take them to a rescue. Don't leave them at risk abandoned in a box. Particularly in these temperatures."

    And Ann Spary said: "Vile people who did this. Just not necessary."

  13. 'Hero' pays for homeless man to stay in hotel

    Jim Hawkins Show

    Ludlow councillor Andy Boddington tells us a local resident has paid for a homeless man usually on the streets to stay in a hotel for the last two nights.

    He described them as his "hero of the year", who had gone "beyond the call of duty".

    People in the area are apparently rallying around to try and secure long-term shelter.

  14. Drivers 'ignore road closure signs' in heavy snow

    Lee Thomas
    Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

    Drivers in Cheshire are being told to stop ignoring signs saying roads are closed due to the bad weather.

    Road blocked by snowCheshire Police

    Cheshire Police says officers have had to rescue a number of people who've got stuck after trying to drive along routes blocked by snow.

    Some roads around Congleton and Macclesfield have been described as treacherous and officers are urging people who abandoned their cars not to try and collect them at the minute.

  15. Two more charges over Dudley murder
    Breaking

    A further two men have been charged in connection with the murder of Jaskaran Kang, who was stabbed to death at a flat in Dudley.

    Mr Kang, 24, from Handsworth, was discovered at a property in Stourbridge Road on 6 January.

    Jaskaran KangPolice Handout

    Police have today charged 18-year-old Joshua Campbell, from Dudley, with his murder and a further offence of conspiracy to commit robbery.

    A second man, 21-year-old Tyrone Johnson, also from Dudley, has also been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery. Both men will appear before Dudley magistrates later today.

    Three others, Reggie Salmon, 20, Dontay Ellis, 18, and a 17-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, remain in custody after appearing before Wolverhampton Magistrates' Court, also charged with Mr Kang's murder.

  16. Decisions on two more football games in icy weather

    Allen Cook
    BBC News

    The decisions on local football matches this weekend are coming thick and fast now, as the West Midlands feels the impact of Storm Emma.

    Shrewsbury Town's game is off, while Aston Villa says theirs is still on, for now:

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  17. Birmingham's canals freeze

    City centre narrowboats looking set for a quiet day.

    Read More

  18. Car hidden in giant snowdrift

    Video shows the top of a car barely visible in a giant snowdrift at Longnor near Church Stretton.

    Read More

  19. 'Intense grief' over Cyrille Regis death

    Julia Regis, the widow of former West Brom and Coventry City player Cyrille Regis, says she’s been overwhelmed by the support given to her and her family since his death.

    Cyrille died suddenly in January at the age of 59.

    A special service will be held at Coventry Cathedral on Sunday to celebrate his life and legacy.

    Julia Regis

    When you're in the depths of intense grief, for other people to share their and stories and memories of how Cyrille had impacted their lives helped us, it certainly helped me with my grief."

    Julia Regis

  20. Waste tips shut by Storm Emma

    The recycling centres in Worcestershire are shut today due to the weather conditions:

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