Summary

  • 'Sinkhole' road reopens after void is filled

  • Search for relatives of Somme soldiers

  • 120,000 people expected to attend Victorian Street Fayre in Worcester

  • Debut for two Warriors; academy players

  • Updates from Friday 25 November

Live Reporting

Jerry Chester

  2. X-ray backlog 'now cleared'

    The trust running hospitals in Worcestershire says a massive backlog of X-rays, uncovered after an unannounced inspection by a health watchdog in July, "is now cleared".

    The trust says that following the criticisms by the Care Quality Commision (CQC), radiographer staffing levels have been improved and that it is now dealing with all urgent X-rays within two days and all other routine X-rays within two weeks.

    The CQC will carry out another inspection later in the month to check the progress made by the trust.

    We apologise for any distress this has caused and can confirm that the backlog concerns a secondary review of X-rays, with the majority of these X-rays having been reviewed by the requesting clinician, mostly on the same day, to determine the patient's care plan."

    Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust statement

  3. Watch: Worcester Victorian street fayre opens

    BBC Hereford and Worcester

    Worcester's Victorian Christmas Fayre begins today, bringing thousands of people into the city over the next four days. 

    Organisers say last year's event attracted around £8m in extra cash to the city, with stalls, street entertainment, a procession and live music.

    Victorian street fayre opens in city.

  4. Latest: X-ray backlog inspection; castle restoration; Warriors' player banned

    BBC Hereford and Worcester

    Here are some of the main stories we are looking at in Herefordshire and Worcestershire:

    - "Urgent powers" used by health watchdog to protect patients at Worcestershire hospitals

    - Castle restoration on Herefordshire border plans agreed

    - Two-week ban for Warrior's player after dangerous tackle

  6. Rugby: Warriors' Ryan Mills banned for two weeks

    Trevor Owens
    Sports Editor, BBC Hereford & Worcester

    Worcester Warriors' centre Ryan Mills has been suspended for two weeks after pleading guilty to a charge of dangerous tackling in the home game against Northampton Saints. 

    Ryan MillsLee Webb Photography

    Ryan Mills will be free to play again on 6 December

    A disciplinary panel found that "the challenge was mistimed owing to a long lay-off through injury and lack of match fitness and was therefore a low-end offence”.

    The incident happened during the first half of the match at Sixways on Friday, 18 November.

    Saints' Calum Clark was cited for a separate incident during the same match and has been handed a three-week ban. 

  7. Two Bulls' players turn down the chance to move away

    Trevor Owens
    Sports Editor, BBC Hereford & Worcester

    Hereford FC have confirmed two of their players have turned down approaches from other clubs in the past month. 

    Midfielder Mike McGrath was a target of Sutton Coldfield Town, while there were two clubs after goalkeeper Alex Harris, but both decided to remain at Edgar Street. 

    Manager Pete Beadle is in talks with full back Adam Davies after he was the target of an approach from his former club, Merthyr Town.

  8. River levels falling in Worcestershire

    The forecast for today is cloudy but dry, and there may even be some sunny periods later.

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  9. 'Urgent powers' used by health watchdog to protect patients
    Breaking

    Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust has been told to take "urgent action" to protect patients after a backlog of 11,000 X-ray results were discovered during an unannounced inspection.

    Chief Inspector of Hospitals Sir Mike Richards said he was using "urgent enforcement powers to protect people" using radiology services.

    Worcestershire Royal HospitalPA

    The inspection was carried out at the service on 27 July after concerns about the length of time being taken to report on routine and urgent X-rays and how the backlog was being managed - there were additional concerns relating to staffing within the department. 

    The CQC says the enforcement action means the trust must take "urgent action to deal with the significant number of unreported images to ensure that patients are protected from the risk of harm". 

  10. Your photos: Cathedral reflections and happy swans

    Some of the riverside footpaths in Worcester are impassable due to the floods, but the swans seem to be having a good time.

    The Victorian street fayre, which opens today, is completely unaffected by the floods, the council says.

    Flooded footpath
    Swans

  11. Sinkholes: Japan v Worcester

    Some facts and figures about what constitutes a sinkhole.

    SinkholesReuters/BBC

    Japanese sinkhole:

    - 98ft (30m) wide

    - 50ft (15m) deep

    - Swallowed up an entire double track road

    - Fixed within a week

    Worcester sinkhole:

    - 1.5ft (0.5m) across (approx)

    - 2 inches deep (5cm) deep (approx)

    - Closed road under railway bridge

    - Engineers on site

    Road closure

  12. When is a sinkhole not a sinkhole?

    Brickfields Road remains closed under the railway bridge after a hole opened up in the road surface.

    Even Worcestershire County Council is now seeing the funny side of their early description of the damage as "a sinkhole", after taking some gentle ribbing on social media.

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  13. Latest: Contaminated blood debate; bridge dual carriageway plans; Victorian Christmas Fayre opens

    Phil Maiden
    Reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester

    Here are some of the main stories we are looking at in Herefordshire and Worcestershire:

    - A Worcestershire woman is hoping a debate in parliament today on the contaminated blood scandal will lead to those involved being held to account

    - Plans for a multimillion-pound project to a bridge over the River Severn into a dual carriageway could be finalised in the next few months

    - The annual Victorian Christmas Fayre, which brings thousands of shoppers to Worcester, opens today

  14. Campaigner's hopes for commons debate on contaminated blood scandal

    BBC Hereford and Worcester

    A Worcestershire woman says she's hoping a debate in parliament today on the contaminated blood scandal will lead to those involved being held to account. 

    Thousands of people were infected with hepatitis C and HIV through NHS blood products in the 1970s and 80s. 

    Collette Wintle from Worcester developed cirrhosis of the liver following a transfusion with contaminated blood and has been protesting about it for years.

    Blood samples

    Not one haematologist has ever been brought to book for this, nobody has ever been held to account and this is why I think there should be an inquiry to examine why a community of very vulnerable people like haemophiliacs could be attacked in this way."

    Collette Wintle

  17. Dual carriageway plan for bridge 'within months'

    Plans for a multimillion-pound project to turn Worcester's ring road bridge over the River Severn into a dual carriageway could be finalised in the next few months. 

    Worcestershire's Local Enterprise Partnership (LEP) has been given approximately £35m from the chancellor's budget to improve transport and infrastructure.

    BridgeGoogle

    The money to pay for the new bridge on Worcester's southern link road would come from separate funding, which the county LEP's chief executive Gary Woodman says could be announced very soon.

    I think we are doing all we can at the moment, we are pushing as hard as we can, and the fact that we are continuing to raise [the bridge plans] means it is getting up there in terms of priorities - so I think, I hope, over the next few months we might see a positive outcome."

    Gary Woodman, Worcestershire Local Enterprise Partnership

  18. Watch: Weather for Herefordshire and Worcestershire

    Alex Hamilton
    BBC Weather

    Rather cloudy at times, but the cloud will tend to break up through the day to allow some sunny spells for most. Highs of 9C ( 48F).

    Latest weather for the West Midlands

  19. Latest: Bridge dualling closer; sinkhole closes road; deaf woman gets hearing back

    Phil Maiden
    Reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester

    Here are some of the main stories we are looking at in Herefordshire and Worcestershire:

    - Plans for a multimillion-pound project to turn a bridge over the River Severn into a dual carriageway could be finalised in the next few months

    - A road in Worcester is closed after a "sinkhole" opens up under a railway bridge

    - A Hereford woman who became deaf while she slept is able to hear again after having a cochlear implant

  20. Travel: 'Sinkhole' closes Worcester road

    BBC Travel

    Brickfields Road in Worcester has been closed under the railway bridge after a 1m (3ft) wide "sinkhole" opened, Worcestershire County Council says.

    Severn Trent engineers will investigate the cause, but the council says it is not yet known when the road will reopen.

    More from BBC Travel.  

    Railway bridgeGoogle