BBC Sport

Stoke City boss Michael O'Neill says there is "no need" for sectarian chants which were allegedly aimed at Potters midfielder James McClean in their game with Huddersfield.

Image source, Getty Images

An announcement was made over the John Smith's Stadium's public address system warning fans about 'offensive behaviour' affecting Wednesday's game.

McClean, 30, has been targeted in the past for his refusal to wear a poppy. McClean is from Derry, where in 1972 British soldiers shot civilian protesters during 'Bloody Sunday'.

Huddersfield boss Danny Cowley said after the match he was sure the club would investigate the chants.

O'Neill, who is also the current Northern Ireland manager, added: "People have to be held accountable for their behaviour when they come to a stadium."

Birmingham City Council has apologised, after people on more than 270 roads did not have bins collected on the first two days after Christmas, despite them being scheduled.

The local authority says it had an average of 14 roads per day "where collections were reported as dropped" in the seven working days before Christmas.

It said the festive period had "always been a challenge with on average one third of extra waste collected each day" and this "stretches the service at a time when staff want time with their friends and families". Depots reported "276 dropped roads" on 30 and 31 December.

The council says it is making "every effort" to catch up as soon as possible.

It adds that if a bin is not collected within 48 hours of its scheduled collection, "please take it back on to your property for collection on the next scheduled date for the type of bins in question" or alternatively visit a household recycling centre, although "as during any festive period, they can be busy at peak times".

Refuse collections in Birmingham have been disrupted twice since a strike in 2017 about changes to working patterns.

BBC News Travel

No trains are running between Lichfield and Sutton Coldfield this afternoon after a vehicle's hit a bridge.

The collision happened at Lichfield City station, National Rail Enquiries said, external, and buses are being organised to cover the route from there to Blake Street.

Police say two men arrested on suspicion of murder have been released with no further action.

Hereford Times

A few of the stories making the headlines on the Hereford Times:

• Parking permit trial for Edgar Street, external
• Former Hereford FC player/coach dies aged 39, external
• Fare rises for Herefordshire rail passengers, external

Allen Cook
BBC News

A man's death in Telford on Boxing Day is no longer being treated as murder, police confirm.

The 32-year-old was found unresponsive on Dawley High Street, Telford, and two men were arrested on suspicion of murder.

Today, West Mercia Police said, external while a post-mortem examination had proved inconclusive, officers didn't believe there was "any third party involvement".

As a result, they said the two men had been released without charge.

Aston Villa are concerned record signing Wesley will miss the rest of the season with a knee injury picked up in the win at Burnley.

BBC Midlands Today

Thousands of patients across the West Midlands region are set to benefit from pioneering research into heart conditions.

It's been taking place at the University of Birmingham and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

The research has recently received £1m of funding from the British Heart Foundation and if successful, it could change national policy towards treating heart conditions.

BBC Sport

Former Cardiff City, Stoke City and Hereford defender Chris Barker (pictured, right) has died at the age of 39.

Image source, ODD ANDERSEN/AFP

The Sheffield-born player helped the club to promotion from English league division two to division one in 2003.

South Wales Police has confirmed the sudden death of a 39-year-old man who was discovered at his home address in the Cyncoed area of Cardiff at approximately 14:00 on New Year's Day.

Officers added that his death was not being treated as suspicious and the coroner had been informed.

He played on loan for Stoke in 2004 and was player-coach with Hereford in 2016., external

BBC Hereford and Worcester

A street in Hereford's staying closed for a third day after a sinkhole appeared in the road, external.

Herefordshire Council says the hole and Union Street will be assessed today and drivers are being advised to use Gaol Street for access.

Stoke City manager Michael O'Neill says their 5-2 win at Huddersfield marks a "fresh start" after a "difficult year".

Image source, Getty Images

His team scored four second-half goals as they came from behind. Tyrese Campbell (pictured right) had only scored two league goals in his entire Stoke career before his double yesterday.

O'Neill says the intensity and quality of their play was "great" and "game by game" they're building confidence.

Express and Star

A few of the headlines from the Express and Star today:

• Residents hit out over missed recycling and bin collections in Sandwell, external
• Historic Wolverhampton windmill rebuilt after gas explosion, external
• Driverless vehicle project extension plans anger Dudley Hippodrome campaigners, external

Millions of commuters will have to pay an average of 2.7% more for train tickets from today, with many commuters facing an increase of more than £100 for annual passes.

The rise, announced by industry body the Rail Delivery Group in November, is lower than the 3.1% increase at the start of last year.

Train companies say it is the third year in a row that average fares have been held below RPI - the inflation measure on which rises are based.

Some annual season tickets up by more than £100 include Gloucester to Birmingham (a rise of £118 to £4,356) and Reading to London (up £132 to £4,736).

Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

A man's been released under investigation following his arrest after a woman driving a mobility scooter was killed in a hit-and-run crash in Cannock.

Image source, Other

The 62-year-old died at the scene of the collision at the junction between Pye Green Road and Saint Aidan's Road on Tuesday.

The 27-year-old man, who's from Cannock, had been arrested by Staffordshire Police on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and failing to stop.

Birmingham City head coach Pep Clotet says he is "massively confident" they can "turn things around", following their sixth game without a win.

Image source, Getty Images

Blues lost 3-2 against relegation-threatened Wigan in the Championship and are only six points above the drop zone.

Clotet says they have "experience in the squad of being in bad situations" and Blues are also scoring more goals than they were a couple of months ago.

BBC Science and Environment

A tiny spark in the UK’s hydrogen revolution has been lit – at a university campus near Stoke-on-Trent.

Image source, PA Media

Hydrogen fuel is a relatively green alternative to alternatives that produce greenhouse gases.

The natural gas supply at Keele University is being blended with 20% hydrogen in a trial that's of national significance.

Adding the hydrogen will reduce the amount of CO2 that’s being produced through heating and cooking.

Critics fear hydrogen will prove too expensive for mass use, but supporters of the technology have high hopes.

Read more on this story including how soon you could have a hydrogen-powered boiler here on the BBC website.

Aston Villa end Andre Green's loan spell with Preston so he can join Charlton for the remainder of the season.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Some of the stories from Stoke-on-Trent Live are:

• Council tenant's living hell as she's plagued by rats at her Stoke-on-Trent home for 11 years, external
• Musician left "petrified" as abusive man smashes lounge window in terrifying New Year's Day attack, external
• More babies are dying in "deprived" Stoke-on-Trent than anywhere else in England, external

BBC Midlands Today

A filmmaker from Warwickshire has finally realised his dream and made his own blockbuster.

Simon Cox has loved science fiction movies since he was a teenager.

Now he's managed to write and direct his own film called Invasion Planet Earth.

Despite having a tiny budget, the movie's been shown in mainstream cinemas and is available to download.

BBC WM

Appeals are being made to trace the owner of a cat who was driven from Birmingham to London on Christmas Day trapped in a car's engine.

The Celia Hammond Animal Trust says the tortoiseshell was discovered inside the vehicle when it pulled up at a block of flats in the capital.

The cat isn't microchipped and the trust has "no idea" where it is from.