Our live coverage across the daypublished at 18:00 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Live updates for Staffordshire and Cheshire have finished for the day but we'll be back from 08:00 Tuesday with the latest news, sport, travel and weather.
Summary
Updates on Monday 15 February 2016
News, sport, travel and weather updates to resume at 08:00 on Tuesday
Our live coverage across the daypublished at 18:00 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Watch: Tonight's weather forecast for Stoke and Staffordshirepublished at 17:57 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Sara Blizzard
BBC WeatherYou can also get the latest weather forecast for Staffordshire and Cheshire from the BBC website.
This evening on BBC Midlands Today: failings found in rural schoolspublished at 17:52 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
David Gregory-Kumar
Science correspondent, BBC Midlands TodayThis evening we'll be looking at figures which highlight how some of the West Midlands most vulnerable children are being let down, because of where they live.
This has come from Ofsted and a BBC investigation and reveal schools in the countryside do a worse job of educating disadvantaged children compared to those in our inner cities.
I'll have more on BBC One from 18:30 in Midlands Today.
Council considering how to 'develop community cohesion' in Crewepublished at 17:46 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Cheshire East says it is considering how best to ‘develop community cohesion’ in Crewe following a fight between pupils, external at Sir William Stanier Community School.
Your pictures: Sun breaking through Fazeley clouds from BBC Weather Watcherpublished at 17:41 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Monica Rimmer
Journalist, BBC Radio StokeThe sun kept shining for much of Staffordshire today and this picture of Fazeley was uploaded by BBC Weather Watcher Shane's Place.
Image source, Shane's placeYou too could get your photo featured by becoming a BBC Weather Watcher - find out more on the website.
Football: Stoke City will benefit from week off says Potters defenderpublished at 17:30 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio StokeThe Stoke City defender Erik Pieters says their trip this week to Dubai will make sure they're ready for the end of season run-in.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe Potters are 10th in the Premier League and have no game this weekend as they're out of the FA Cup.
Pieters told BBC Radio Stoke that preparation is key if they're to stay in the top 10.
Quote MessageWhen people say that we lost a couple of times 3-0 and are thinking we can't play football any more - I think we've showed now that we're confident in our play."
Erik Pieters, Stoke City defender
Icy night forecast as gritters prepare to head outpublished at 17:21 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Drivers in Staffordshire and Cheshire as well as Stoke-on-Trent are being warned it'll be a cold and icy night
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End of twitter postDriving ban for man after Cheshire's 'highest ever drug drive reading'published at 17:10 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Lamont Howie
Reporter, BBC Radio StokeA Stoke-on-Trent man who's admitted drug driving has been described by police as "the worst ever case of drug driving", external in Cheshire.
Cheshire Police say Michael Mountford, 24, of Nash Peak Road, was stopped in Church Lawton last November and tested for drugs.
They say their tests showed he had nearly 15 times the legal limit of cannabis in his blood which the force says is the "county's highest ever drug drive reading".
In court Mountford pleaded guilty to driving under the influence of drugs and possession of a class B drug - he was banned from driving for a year and fined.
News: Sixth arrest over Meir disorder; police claim worst ever drug driving case; research says education failing in rural areaspublished at 17:01 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Alice Bentley
Newsreader, BBC Radio StokeThese are the main headlines we're looking at this evening
- A sixth person's been arrested by police investigating reports of disorder and a weapon being discharged, external in Stoke-on-Trent
- A Stoke-on-Trent man who's admitted drug driving has been described by police as "the worst ever case of drug driving", external in Cheshire
- New research shows disadvantaged children living in rural areas do worse at school than their city counterparts
80 parents pay £45 each for a school-run parking spotpublished at 16:52 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Nearly 100 parents are paying £45-a-year to drop off their children at school, external to help tackle parking chaos.
Image source, The SentinelSixth arrest over disorder and reported gunshots in Stoke-on-Trentpublished at 16:38 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Lucy King
News Editor, BBC Radio StokeA sixth person's been arrested by police investigating reports of disorder and a weapon being discharged in Stoke-on-Trent.
Image source, GoogleStaffordshire Police say armed police and a helicopter were deployed to Meir last night - they had already arrested five teenage men, external, aged between 12-16.
The sixth man's aged 19 and was arrested this morning over the incident - officers say residents within the area of Meir Road reported seeing two groups of local youths looking to confront each other.
The force also says an air weapon was recovered last night and is being examined.
Travel: Lane shut after crash on M6 near Sandbachpublished at 16:27 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
BBC TravelA lane is closed on the M6 northbound between Sandbach Services and junction 17, because of an accident.
Watch: North West has highest UK sickness rate, BBC findspublished at 16:27 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Dianne Oxberry
Presenter, Inside Out North WestThe BBC has found the North West has the highest sickness rate for public sector workers in the UK.
Liverpool GP Dr Simon Bowers said it was due to "unprecedented pressure".
The figures revealed that front-line public services are suffering the most. The BBC contacted all the NHS trusts, local councils and police forces in the region to find out just how much mental health issues cost in time and money.
Among those responses, 20 NHS trusts said stress, anxiety and depression are the cause of more than one-in-five days of all employee absence, costing millions of pounds.
You can see more on this issue on Inside Out North West on BBC One from 19:30.
Your pictures: A smiling llama in Cheshirepublished at 16:13 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Allen Cook
BBC Local LiveThis happy looking llama was photographed in Cheshire by Jonathan White who emailed it in.
He wrote: "I was driving near Wybunbury when I saw four llamas in a field. I stopped for a photo and the owner told me this llama is the youngest in the family."
Image source, Jonathan WhiteLike Jonathan you can send in your pictures of Staffordshire and Cheshire - email us, send on Twitter, external or Instagram, external.
£9m fund launched to help unlock 'stalled' housing developmentpublished at 16:01 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Housing developments in Lichfield and Burntwood which have stalled despite gaining planning permission may now be able to get off the ground thanks to, external a new £9m fund.
Image source, Lichfield MercuryFootball: Break 'comes at a good time' says Burton bosspublished at 15:49 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Nigel Cash
BBC Radio Derby SportAfter securing his seventh win from 10 starts since returning to the club, Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough says he's not concerned by the lengthy break before their next fixture.
Image source, EmpicsThe Brewers don't play again until a week tonight, when they travel to Southend.
Burton are five points clear at the top of League One and have a game in hand over second placed Gillingham. As such, Clough says the break has come at a good time.
Halfway point for National Memorial Arboretum's new Remembrance Centrepublished at 15:37 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
The National Memorial Arboretum says it's reached the halfway stage today in building a new Remembrance Centre at the site.
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End of twitter postWatch: Rural schools failing poor children compared to inner citypublished at 15:24 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Andy Akinwolere
Presenter, BBC Inside OutNew research shows disadvantaged children living in rural areas do worse at school than their city counterparts.
According to the 2015 figures from Ofsted, the schools regulator, 45% of pupils in Birmingham from poorer backgrounds achieved five GCSEs, grades A*- C, including English and maths. That compared with 35% in Worcestershire and 32% in Shropshire.
Laura Fitzjohn, from Ofsted, said councils were shocked when shown the figures, and realised there was more they could do to improve the situation.
The full report can be seen on Inside Out West Midlands tonight on BBC One at 19:30.
News: Thousands could get geothermal benefit; disabled girl 'heart broken' at Messi cancellation; man in hospital after fire station crashpublished at 15:09 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Alice Bentley
Newsreader, BBC Radio StokeThe main headlines for Staffordshire and Cheshire include:
- Thousands of homes in Stoke-on-Trent could soon be heated by tapping into hot water wells beneath the city, external, the council says
- The mother of a disabled girl from Meir, Stoke-on-Trent says she's "heart broken" after her footballing hero Lionel Messi cancelled a planned meeting
- A 40-year-old man's been taken to hospital after a crash outside a fire station, external in Newcastle-under-Lyme this morning
Van crash outside Staffordshire fire stationpublished at 14:53 Greenwich Mean Time 15 February 2016
Alice Bentley
Newsreader, BBC Radio StokeA 40-year-old man's been taken to hospital after a crash outside a fire station, external in Newcastle-under-Lyme this morning.
Image source, GoogleWest Midlands Ambulance Service say a small van and a car collided on Knutton Lane.
The van driver was taken to the Royal Stoke University Hospital with back pain and the man driving the car was given a check up.
