Phil Maiden
Reporter, BBC Hereford & Worcester

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

- Proposed cuts to the number of hip and knee replacements in Worcestershire may make things worse for the NHS, says top surgeon

- A construction company and Worcestershire County Council have gone to court over the cost of a new bridge

- Six skeletons and an unknown crypt have been discovered during building work at a Herefordshire church

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

This morning will start bright but frosty, however cloud will quickly spread in from the south throughout the morning. 

Highs of 7C ( 45F).

Jerry Chester
BBC News Online

Welcome to the Local Live service for Herefordshire and Worcestershire on Friday morning. 

I'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather as it happens. 

If you'd like to get in touch you can email, tweet us on @bbchw, external or message via Facebook, external.

The bodies of hanged men, a hidden nuclear bunker and a massive vinegar store - just some of the stories of Worcestershire's tunnels.

Plans to cut the number of knee and hip replacements in Worcestershire have come under fire from the Royal College of Surgeons (RCS), which said there was "no clinical justification" for the move.

Image source, Science Photo Library

Stephen Cannon, vice president of the RCS said: "While the CCGs have stated they hope this policy will save them £2m a year, it is unclear whether they have considered the costs of not treating a patient. 

"This could include the cost of pain relief medication and a later operation when the patient does meet the required pain and weight thresholds."

Cuts to the number of people eligible for hip and knee replacement operations are being proposed by three Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) in Worcestershire - a move estimated to save £2m a year.

The CCGs in Redditch and Bromsgrove, South Worcestershire, and Wyre Forest are proposing to cut the number of people who qualify for hip replacements by 12% and 19% for knee replacements.

The plan would mean treating only "severe to the upper end of moderate" cases - people who are obese with a body mass index of 35 would need to lose 10% of their weight unless their problems were very severe under the proposals.

The proposal, in a CCG agenda report, said a "patient's pain and disability should be sufficiently severe that it interferes with the patient's daily life and/or ability to sleep".

Rob Mayor
Black Country Political Reporter, BBC WM

A university has launched a Centre for Brexit Studies alongside a wishlist of things the West Midlands needs to get from the government in order to make a success of leaving the EU.

Birmingham City University (BCU) hopes the new centre will promote engagement between Leave and Remain standpoints, while providing collaborative opportunities for businesses and professional groups.

The report meanwhile makes three key points. It claims more investment is needed in infrastructure, such as expanding broadband services, and to close the skills gap so there are enough people to fill roles in the high-tech manufacturing sector, which is still struggling to recruit people.

Another area for improvement, it says, is transport - tackling a bottleneck slowing down how products fashioned in the West Midlands get to their destination.

Professor Alex de Ruyter heads up the Centre for Brexit Studies and said the way the UK measured its economy needed to change because the West Midlands currently is "overlooked" for investment.

BBC Travel

Problems on the trains between Droitwich Spa and Birmingham Snow Hill.

Worcester News

The Worcester News today, external reports on a "serial burglar" who's been jailed for break-ins carried out to feed his drug habit.

Image source, Worcester News

Carlie Swain
BBC Local Live

Young jockey Jonjo O'Neill jnr is being tipped for a successful career after a win at Ludlow Racecourse yesterday. 

The son and namesake of his dad, the two-time champion jockey and now leading trainer, rode the 10-1 shot Just Joelliott to victory. 

It was his third National Hunt success.

Police in Warwickshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire caught almost 700 drivers using mobile phones at the wheel in November last year.

Image source, Thinkstock

It follows a police crackdown on "distracted drivers" - ahead of new legislation coming into force increasing fines and points for using a hand-held mobile phones whilst driving. 

From 1 March penalties will double to six points and the fine to £200. 

In November 2016, 695 motorists in Warwickshire and West Mercia were caught.

We'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 tomorrow, but keep an eye out here for more updates this evening and into the morning.

A campaign to reduce the number of attacks on West Mercia officers and staff has been launched by the police and crime commissioner.

John Campion says his officers should get the same treatment as "any other victim of crime". 

A spokeswoman for the PCC said the figures for assaults included both verbal and physical assaults and were "offences where the victims were on-duty personnel".

BBC Weather Watchers

BBC Weather Watcher Postman Les sent in this gorgeous picture from Bromyard. 

All the different shades of blue in the sky are so pretty.

Image source, postman Les

if you have a picture you'd like to share, you can sign up to become to a BBC Weather Watcher here.

Gritters will be out on the roads of Worcestershire from 18:00 tonight as temperatures are predicted to drop overnight, the county council says.

You can find out which roads have been gritted using the online maps produced by Herefordshire Council, external and Worcestershire County Council, external.    

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Hereford and Worcester

Two sheep have had to be put down after being attacked by a pair of dogs near Kidderminster, police say.

Two Jack Russell-type dogs were reportedly worrying sheep in a field on Drayton Road in Chaddesley Corbett yesterday afternoon. 

The sheep were injured and had to be euthanised. 

West Mercia Police would like to speak to anyone who has any information.

Image source, Google

The public is being urged to see 'Behind the Badge' in a campaign to cut violence against police officers.

West Midlands Ambulance Service Chief Executive, Anthony Marsh has praised staff for their "hard work" and "dedication" as the trust is rated "outstanding" by the Care Quality Commission. 

Take a listen to his thoughts.

Monica Rimmer
Journalist, BBC Online

West Midlands Ambulance Service, external has become the first NHS Foundation Trust to be rated "outstanding" by the Care Quality Commission.  

The reports states that between April 2015 and March 2016 the trust was the only ambulance trust to meet all national targets for response times for the most immediately life threatening calls and answering 999 calls.  

We asked for your comments and experiences on this and here are some...

Image source, Facebook

Image source, Facebook

A man serving an indeterminate sentence for threats to kill, robbery, assaulting a police officer and possessing a mobile phone in prison has absconded. 

Police say, external Michael Wilson, 38, left the open prison section of HMP Hewell in Redditch at about 06:00 last month to go for a walk but did not return.

He is described as black, 5ft 10in and has a gold, capped tooth.

Image source, West Mercia Police

He is known to have connections with the West Bromwich area, Stafford and London.