BBC Radio 5 Live

Image source, bbc

BBC Radio 5 Live has been broadcasting from Crewe today, a town famous for its railway history.

Graham Roberts is the fifth generation of his family to work on the railways - his great-great grandfather was an engine driver in the 1840s.

Tony Livesey spoke to Graham in a first class carriage on an old InterCity train.

"It's in the genes," Graham said, "I can't help it. I was born and bred with steam engines, then diesel, then electric."

He said when British Rail sold off Crewe Works in the early 1990s it was "quite devastating" for the town, however it's "slowly recovering".

Graham said he's got mixed views about HS2.

"I think it will benefit Crewe, both in short and long term, it will provide extra jobs... if we can encourage more people to use it, they're not using cars, it's better for the environment that way, and provided the construction doesn't destroy too much of the natural habitat, it might be worthwhile."

HS2 is an important part of Crewe's future, or at least it could be if it gets the go-ahead.

Parties are split: Labour and the Lib Dems would press ahead with high-speed rail while the Greens and Brexit Party have said they would scrap it. The Conservatives are on the fence while they wait for an independent review to be published.

Graham Dellow, from the Mid Cheshire Against HS2 campaign group, and Paul Coleman, from the South Cheshire Chambers of Commerce are on opposite sides of the argument.

Mr Dellow says HS2 is just an expensive "duplication of an existing railway that does the job" and thinks it will be a "disaster" if whichever party gets into power continues with the project.

Mr Coleman on the other hand thinks it's important to improve connectivity for the North and people and businesses will last for over 100 years - he also believes the prospect of HS2 is already bringing businesses to the area.

That's all for our coverage this evening.

We'll be back from 07:00 tomorrow with the latest news,sport, travel and weather.

Banksy praises Brummies' generosity as he reveals a Christmas-themed work in the city.

Centuries from Stoke-on-Trent's Danni Wyatt (right) and Tammy Beaumont led England women to a 75-run win in the first one-day international against Pakistan in Kuala Lumpur.

Image source, England Cricket

The openers hit 110 and 107 respectively with captain Heather Knight adding 41 as England finished on 284-6 in the Malaysian capital.

Kate Cross then took four wickets as Pakistan were dismissed for 209 with more than five overs to spare.

Wyatt, whose ton was her first in ODIs, said: "To get that hundred out there with Tammy was an amazing feeling."

Chris Mason
Political Correspondent

Plans for HS2, and whether it will come to Crewe, are up in the air and strikingly for the party that has been in the lead, the Conservatives are not yet fully committed to it.

They're certainly not fully committed to the full extent of it, running as far as Leeds.

The governing party seems to be hedging their bets.

Image source, Getty Images

I asked Transport Secretary Grant Shapps whether the party is doing this for political reasons, so they can appeal to people who like the idea of high speed rail as well as those who don't like the idea.

The government says no, that they commissioned a review which they will examine if they get into power at the end of this week.

Local residents line up to admire artwork from Banksy after it appears on a Birmingham street.

BBC Radio Stoke has been speaking to the candidates standing in Crewe and Nantwich and spoke to the two main parties going head-to-head in the seat.

Labour's Laura Smith took the seat from the Conservatives by just 48 votes in 2017.

In alphabetical order, the candidates standing are:

• Te Ata Browne - Greens
• Andrew Kinsman - Libertarian
• Kieran Mullan - Conservatives
• Laura Smith - Labour
• Matthew Theobald - Liberal Democrats
• Matt Wood - Brexit Party

Ex-Pakistan international Nasir Jamshed was initially the target of bribery but then acted as a go-between.

Some residents in Coventry say their homes are no longer safe for their children.

BBC Business News

Egon Cosssou caught up with another business leader earlier while at the Faryrefield Foods site.

Living Pure Natural skincare, based in Nantwich, imports ingredients from Greece and then processes in the UK before exporting around the world.

Founder Aris Tsinias called for "clear, concise information" over Brexit, saying the firm had been forced to "estimate" how to respond as the various deadlines had approached and passed.

He said the effect was that the firm had made "some bad decisions and some good decisions".

The bear, said to have been taken into two battles, was bought by a collector.

BBC Business News

BBC Business reporter Egon Cossou has been reporting live from Crewe this afternoon.

He spoke to Nick Hilton, managing director of Fayrefield Foods, which describes itself as one of the UK’s largest independent dairy companies.

Its huge 75,000 sq ft warehouse in Crewe sends out mainly cheese and butter not only across the UK, but to more than 30 countries. The firm also imports heavily from Ireland.

Mr Hitlon called for "clarity" over Brexit and for a long-term trade deal to be in place "as fast as possible".

"We just need to get this done and move out of no man's land," he said.

"In the event of a hard deal what we would hope for as part of a settlement going forward that we carry on with tariff-free access [import and export to Europe]."

Tom Burridge
Transport correspondent, BBC News

Just over 1% of people in northern England get a train on a daily basis - something it's hoped projects such as Northern Powerhouse Rail will change.

The £40bn project, which should begin in five years, will see improvements on railway lines across the north of England from Crewe to Newcastle as well as a faster link between Manchester and Leeds.

In Crewe, where there's uncertainty about whether it will be an important stop on the HS2 route, buses are a more immediate concern for many people.

"No buses means isolation," said Carol Jones, who campaigns for the Crewe Bus Users group.

"It's alright having a car, but there's a lot of people who haven't got that," she said. "They've just got a bus."

All the main parties have promised more money for buses.

More: Election 2019: Crewe and Nantwich in focus

Faisal Islam
BBC Economics Editor

There's a big disparity on government spending per head depending on where you live in the UK.

When it comes to trains, about £843 is spent per passenger in London each year compared to £240 in north-west England and as little as £130 in parts of Yorkshire and the North East.

Image source, Getty Images

It's a self-fulfilling prophecy, as the Treasury looks at where passengers are and targets money there, creating a giant circle where funds are re-invested in the same areas.

The end result of that, especially when you look at local transport, is best shown when compared to other countries - you will find underground train systems in the six biggest cities in Spain, but no such systems in big UK cities like Birmingham and Manchester.

More:Election 2019: Crewe and Nantwich in focus

The piles of rubbish at Great Barr Hall are causing a strong smell, residents say.

Police investigating the death of an 80-year-old man at his home are appealing for help in identifying a woman seen on CCTV.

Image source, West Mercia Police

The body of Desmond Wooding, who was stabbed to death, was discovered in Vines Lane, Droitwich, on 24 June.

West Mercia Police said it was appealing to the public for their help in identifying a woman seen on CCTV in the road on 23 June.

Det Insp Mark Walters said: "The enquiry team is keen to identify and speak with the young woman who is not suspected of any wrong doing at all but may be able to assist the police investigation as a witness and provide important information that can help us with our enquiry."

Two men charged over the incident have pleaded not guilty.

As politicians campaign for votes, we will be looking closely at the places where the election could be won or lost.

Crewe and Nantwich are two towns in one constituency in the county of Cheshire.

They are divided by two political parties: Crewe traditionally votes Labour, while Nantwich traditionally votes for the Conservatives.

The BBC's political reporter for Cheshire Phil McCann is in the county, asking people their view on the upcoming election.

Jennie Aitken
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

Cheshire is home to 97 miles of canals, with the Shropshire Union canal running through Crewe and Nantwich.

Along the water, you'll find some of the nation's "floating voters".

According to the Canals and Rivers Trust, external, those with a permanent mooring can vote the same way as land lovers, but those who spend more time cruising the country need to explain a local connection before casting a vote for a local MP.

From her barge Galatea, Jill told us she'll be returning to Wales to vote, although she has "no idea" who for.

"I think it’s harder to make a choice," she said. "It's caught between the devil and the deep blue sea really. I genuinely don’t know where my vote is going."

Image source, Getty Images

A little further down the canal, Dave and Lillian are living on a barge called Calm Down.

They won't be exercising their right to vote in this election.

"We’re not in one place at the same time, that’s it really," Dave said. "Lazy, I suppose.

"We have no regular place. I suppose we could register anywhere couldn’t we, but we haven’t.”

Worcester Warriors loose-head prop Ethan Waller signs a new two-year extension to his contract with the club until 2022.