Updates on Thursday 18 February 2016
News, sport, travel and weather updates to resume at 08:00 on Friday
Live updates for Herefordshire and Worcestershire have finished for the day but we'll be back from 08:00 on Friday with the latest news, sport, travel and weather.
Gtech say they will remain in Worcester, despite plans for a multimillion-pound HQ being rejected by the council today.
Worcester City Council voted against the new £5m base, which was to be built in Warndon Villages, after people in the area campaigned against it.
Quote MessageIn some ways it could turn out to be a blessing in disguise because the company has grown so much since this application started - maybe we need to look for somewhere bigger."
Nick Grey, Gtech chairman
Worcester wins an award for displaying its coats of arms in more than 2,000 places around the city centre.
Worcester wins an award for displaying its coats of arms in more than 2,000 places around the city centre.
Read MorePrivate organisations in Herefordshire and Worcestershire have expressed interest in getting licences to carry out badger culls, Natural England has announced.
The organisation, which is the government’s adviser for the natural environment in England, says it will not give further information on the applications.
Image source, Thinkstock- Nearly 1,500 badgers were killed last year as part of the government's badger cull
- 756 animals were killed in Dorset, 432 in Gloucestershire and 279 in Somerset
- The government said more than half of England was expected to be free of the disease by 2019
- Campaigners said there was no evidence killing badgers was reducing the level of the disease in cattle
A man has been cleared of killing a woman in a fire in Worcestershire.
Sandra Nowocinska, 22, died after being rescued from a flat in Horsefair, Kidderminster, in November 2014.
Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today
Tonight, it will be mostly dry with clear spells, with a widespread frost developing and the risk of icy patches. Some mist or freezing fog patches are likely to develop towards dawn. Lows of 0C (32F).
Ludlow & Tenbury Wells Advertiser
A Tenbury veteran will be making his second attempt to claim an underwater diving endurance World Record, external and four charities will benefit by hopefully £1m.
Image source, Tenbury Wells Advertiser
Felicity Sanderson
Journalist
Here are some of the main stories we are looking at in Herefordshire and Worcestershire:
- Plans for a new arts quarter in Worcester have been approved by the council
- A man has been found not guilty of manslaughter after a fatal flat fire but will be sentenced later for another arson
- Private groups in Herefordshire and Worcestershire have expressed interest in getting licences to carry out badger culls
Government grants have been awarded to two charities who help carry out rescues on rivers in the area.
West Mercia Search and Rescue, external has been given over £32,000 and Mercia Inshore Search and Rescue, external received just over £7,000.
The funding will allow the two organisation, which are charities staffed by volunteers, to buy new equipment and undergo training to support their rescue efforts.
BBC Travel
There's slow traffic on the M5 northbound between J5 (Droitwich) and J4a (M42) in the roadworks area. More from BBC Travel.
Trevor Owens
Sports Editor, BBC Hereford & Worcester
Worcester Wolves will look to put recent disappointments behind them when they host Manchester Giants in a BBL Championship match at the University Arena on Friday, 19 February - tip off is at 19:30.
The Wolves’ 80-72 defeat at London Lions was the team’s third straight reversal with their last win coming at The Giants on 7 February.
Head coach, Paul James, might again have to make do without influential club captain Pavol Losonsky, who missed the London game due to illness.
John Adam and Thomas came to Worcester in April 1786, and visited the site of the Battle of Worcester - including the vital strongpoint of Fort Royal (pictured).
Image source, Worcester City CouncilJohn Adam - the second president of the USA - took local people to task for not making enough of the significance of the battle, in 1651.
Quote MessageDo Englishmen so soon forget the ground where liberty was fought for? All England should come in pilgrimage to this hill once a year."
John Adam, US President - 1797-1801
A man wept in the dock at Worcester Crown Court after he was cleared of starting a fire in a Kidderminster block of flats, external which led to the death of a young mother.
Alice Porter
Reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester
Plans to transform former Royal Worcester Porcelain Works into an arts quarter at a cost of £3m have been approved by the city council.
Image source, Worcester City CouncilUnder the plans, a new arts venue and open spaces would be created around the site of the old porcelain factory.
John Adams and Thomas Jefferson made a special trip to Worcester in 1786.
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Felicity Sanderson
Journalist
Here are some of the main stories we are looking at in Herefordshire and Worcestershire:
- Man found not guilty of flat fire manslaughter but guilty of separate arson attack
- Plan for a £5m office development in Worcester turned down
- Private groups in Herefordshire and Worcestershire have expressed an interest in getting licences to carry out badger culls
Bob Hockenhull
BBC Midlands Today
A doctor who developed a severe mental health condition says the lack of care he received has destroyed his life.
Stephen Sadler, from Herefordshire, has Body Dysmorphic Disorder - a condition where the person has a distorted view of how they look.
He lost an arm and a leg in two suicide attempts.
The trust looking after mental health issues in Herefordshire said it would not comment on individual cases.
In a statement, said: "We have recently been inspected by the Care Quality Commission who have rated our provision as being 'good' overall, and 'outstanding' for inpatient and crisis services."
A 37-year-old man whose face was "caved in" during an alleged sledgehammer attack in Worcester has spoken of his ordeal, external.
Felicity Sanderson
Journalist
Applications for badger control licences have been received from both Herefordshire and Worcestershire, external, Natural England says.
The organisation, which is the government’s adviser for the natural environment in England, says it will not give further information on these applications or expressions of interest.
Badger culls have previously taken place in Somerset, Dorset, Gloucestershire and the Herefordshire border.
Worcester Wolves' head coach Paul James says they could well again be without Pavol Losonsky for the home BBL Championship match against Manchester Giants on Friday, 19 February.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Slovakian international was ill and, while he travelled to the Copper Box with the squad, he took no part in the 80-72 defeat at London Lions on Tuesday.
Paul James says the player hasn't trained this week and, while they'll assess him on Friday morning, it's unlikely he'll be fit enough to figure in the game against the Giants - tip Off at 19:30.
