Assault and dangerous driving arrest by badger cull officers
Cash machine raided at Herefordshire garage
Overrunning bridge work brings rush-hour jams in Worcester
Pupils put questions to the Archbishop of Canterbury
Updates on Friday 7 October 2016
We've had blue skies around the two counties today and the BBC Weather Watchers have been sharing their photos with us.
These ones were taken in Bromyard (top) and Doddenham (bottom) this afternoon.
Image source, Postman Les
Image source, ToppoFour station signs are to be turned gold in honour of successful British Paralympians, London Midland has announced, external.
Image source, London Midland- Bromsgrove: Lauren Rowles who won rowing gold in the TA Mixed Double Sculls
- Kidderminster: Claire Cashmore, gold medalist in women's 4x100m medley relay
- Stratford-upon-Avon: Cyclist Megan Giglia, winner of the women's C1-2-3 3,000m individual pursuit
- Northampton: Ellie Robinson, who won gold in women's 50m butterfly
Gold boards have already been put up at the stations in Sutton Coldfield, in honour of cyclist Jon-Allan Butterworth and Hemel Hempstead, for Olympian Max Whitlock and Paralympic archer Jessica Stretton.
Andrew Easton
Presenter, BBC
West Midlands UKIP MEP Bill Etheridge has confirmed he will be standing for his party's leadership.
Image source, Getty ImagesIt comes after Diane James' decision to step down from the top job last night, after only 18 days in charge.
Nigel Farage is to lead the party until a fresh contest is completed. The UKIP North West MEP Steven Woolfe has said he will stand, external for the leadership.
Quote MessageWhen the leadership election is called I see currently no reason whatsoever why I shouldn't have another crack. Unless something dramatic happens, some great heroic saviour-type figure appears, then I shall be having a go."
Bill Etheridge, West MidlandsUKIP MEP
Mike Perkins
Newsreader, BBC Hereford & Worcester
Five people arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty at a kennel belonging to the South Herefordshire hunt have been bailed again.
West Mercia Police say they are continuing investigations after a video, secretly filmed by activists, appeared to show fox cubs being taken in to a shed where hounds were kept, before being brought out dead.
All hunting activities of the South Herefordshire Hunt remain suspended while the investigations are taking place.
Andy Giddings
BBC Shropshire
Our headlines this evening include:
- Five arrested in alleged hunt cruelty case bailed again
- Cost of Eastham bridge repairs expected to reach almost £2m
- Worcestershire members to be consulted on proposed T20 changes
BBC Sport
Worcestershire members are going to be asked what they think of proposals for a new city-based T20 competition.
The eight-team tournament would be staged in addition to the T20 Blast and the aim is to broaden the appeal of the sport and to bring in more money.
Image source, Getty ImagesThere will be places for around 50 club members at the meeting on Wednesday 19 October.
Quote MessageConsultation with members is an extremely important part of this process and something I have been looking forward to doing. When changes such as these are proposed a clear understanding is of paramount importance to the buy-in of each county."
Tom Scott, Worcestershire CEO
Controversial plans to demolish a historical Bromsgrove pub, external branded "a valuable community asset" have been put on hold at the eleventh-hour.
Image source, Bromsgrove AdvertiserPermanently replacing the collapsed Eastham Bridge in north Worcestershire is set to cost the taxpayer almost £2m.
Work on a replacement bridge will begin later this month, and it's expected to be completed by next spring.
Worcestershire County Council is set to dip into its reserves to pay for part of the bill.
Mike Perkins
Newsreader, BBC Hereford & Worcester
This afternoon's headlines include:
- Five people arrested on suspicion of animal cruelty at a kennel belonging to the South Herefordshire hunt have been bailed again
- The cost to taxpayers of investigating and permanently replacing the collapsed Eastham Bridge in north Worcestershire is set to be almost £2m
- Horse racing's reigning champion jockey Richard Johnson says he is looking forward to racing returning to his home track at Hereford
A nice visual challenge from Herefordshire Wildlife Trust, external.
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Jennifer Meierhans
BBC News Online
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Andy Giddings
BBC Shropshire
A worker has been freed after getting a finger trapped in machinery at the Kerry Ingredients factory, on the Shropshire-Worcestershire border.
Firefighters were called to the site at Burford, near Tenbury Wells, at 02:40 and it took half an hour to free him.
The ambulance service says he was taken to Worcester Royal Infirmary for treatment.
There have been 949 accidents involving West Mercia police cars between 2013 and 2015.
Of those, 331 involved unmarked police and they resulted in 23 injuries.
West Mercia Police says that its officers adhere to nationally approved driver training standards which are governed by the College of Policing.
A house in Bromsgrove is believed to have been targeted in an armed raid yesterday.
Police say the home on Old Birmingham Road in Lickey End was broken into at about 17:00.
Three offenders, one reported to be carrying a firearm, took a number of watches, including a Rolex, before making off on a black motorbike towards Rednal.
Former England and Bath centre Jeremy Guscott believes England hopeful Ben Te’o has joined the "wrong club, external" in Worcester Warriors.
Image source, Worcester News
Sarah Falkland
BBC Midlands Today
As the online retailer Amazon launches a recruitment drive to find 4,500 workers for its Staffordshire centre, we'll be getting a rare look behind the scenes.
Image source, GoogleThe staff are wanted because the internet giant says it needs to meet demand over the Christmas break.
I'll have more on Midlands Today from 13:30 on BBC One.
The father of a Kidderminster man, who had been unable to move since being paralysed in a motorcycle crash six years ago, says his son wouldn't have wanted to live as long as he did.
Yesterday an inquest found 49-year-old Richard Rudd died from pneumonia and an infection as a result of a crash in 2009.
He'd narrowly survived having his life support machine turned off several years ago after a doctor discovered he was able to move his eyes in response to questions.
Phil Maiden
Newsreader, BBC Hereford & Worcester
This lunchtime, our headlines include:
- The West Midlands UKIP MEP Bill Etheridge says he's not ruling out another bid to become the party's leader
- A Worcestershire mother, who claims she hasn't been allowed to rent a seven-bedroom house due to having foster children, says they'll struggle to find alternative accommodation
- Almost 950 police cars belonging to the West Mercia force have been involved in crashes over the past three years, according to newly released figures
A warning of rail delays if you're travelling between Bromsgrove and Droitwich Spa.
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Two new giraffe calves recently born at West Midlands Safari Park, external have been named
The male and female Rothschild's giraffes, born within a few days of each other, have been called Embu and Emali, after two towns in Kenya.
Rothschild's giraffes are rare, with fewer than 2,500 thought to be left in the wild.
Giraffe arrivals are already taller than their keepers
