That's it from Local Live for Staffordshire and Cheshire today.

Join us from 08:00 on Friday for more news, sport, travel and weather updates.

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

It will be a dry evening and night with variable amounts of cloud allowing some clear intervals to develop. 

A frost will form in many areas. Lows of 1C (34F). Find out more about tomorrow's outlook.

Mary Rhodes
Presenter, BBC Midlands Today

Alton Towers faces prosecution over the rollercoaster crash last year that saw five people seriously injured. And hundreds of drivers are caught speeding more than 100mph on roads in the West Midlands.

Those stories and more on Midlands Today on BBC One from 18:30.

James Bovill
Political reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

Stoke-on-Trent City Council's City Independent / Conservative coalition has defended using £13m of reserves to balance the books, as it passed its budget plans in the last hour. 

A total of 24 voted in favour to 15 against. Labour had accused the coalition of a "cop out" for using the reserves to avoid making difficult decisions.

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

Port Vale's Jak Alnwick is out of tomorrow's home game against Southend United.

The keeper was expected to be in contention for the match after missing last week's game through a training ground injury.

But the Vale boss Rob Page has confirmed today he's had a slight setback.

Image source, Getty Images

BBC Travel

The A522 Uttoxeter Road in Checkley is blocked, causing queuing traffic and delays in both directions at the junction with New Road due to a crash where a vehicle has struck a telegraph pole.

Merlin Entertainments said it had "cooperated fully" with the Health and Safety Executive, which announced today it would be prosecuting the company over charges related to The Smiler crash at Alton Towers on 2 June last year.

A spokesman said: "The company completed its own investigation and published the results in November, accepting responsibility for what happened. 

"We have also kept the HSE fully informed of the subsequent actions that we have taken to ensure that something like this cannot happen again.”

Alex Homer
BBC Local Live

Here are the top stories for Staffordshire and Cheshire this afternoon:

- The owner of Alton Towers is to be prosecuted over the Smiler rollercoaster crash which left five people seriously injured

- Budget plans including the possible closure of children's centres across East Cheshire have been approved

- Staffordshire Police has signed a £100m deal over 10 years with defence firm Boeing to upgrade its IT system

BBC Radio Stoke Sport

Port Vale boss Rob Page has confirmed he wants to keep Cardiff winger Matty Kennedy on loan, but the clubs have not yet agreed the deal.

The 21-year-old's initial month-long loan is up after tomorrow's home game against Southend, which Kennedy is expected to start.

Image source, Getty Images

Phil McCann
Political reporter, Cheshire

The Cheshire East Council budget including possible closure of children's centres has been approved - 48 voted in favour, 28 against. 

Flames are thought to have spread from a scout hut to the nearby Koch Glitsch factory on King Street in Fenton overnight.

James Nicholls, who runs Darcy's pub nearby was taking his three dogs out for a walk, when he captured these pictures.

Image source, James Nicholls

Image source, James Nicholls

The 37-year-old landlord said: "There were fire engines everywhere and I could here popping and banging - probably as windows blew out and electrics went." 

Profits at theme parks operator Merlin Entertainments have edged up, despite last summer's Alton Towers crash which left five people seriously injured.

The company, which also owns Legoland and the London Eye, said group pre-tax profits rose 0.3% to £250m from 2014.

Merlin said Alton Towers saw a "significant" fall in visitor numbers after the accident, which resulted in the park shutting for four days.

Alex Homer
BBC Local Live

If you are just catching up on the news for Wednesday, here are our top stories from the past few hours:

- The owner of Alton Towers is to be prosecuted over the Smiler rollercoaster crash which left five people seriously injured

- A man accused of murder in Stoke-on-Trent is "undergoing psychiatric assessment", a court has heard

- Staffordshire Police has signed a £100m deal over 10 years with defence firm Boeing to upgrade its IT system

Phil McCann
Political reporter, Cheshire

The new leader of Cheshire East Council has been formally elected by councillors. 

Rachel Bailey takes over from Michael Jones, who resigned over contracts awarded to his personal physiotherapist's firm.

Mr Jones (pictured) stepped down following pressure over contracts given to Core Fit Ltd, which totalled £156,000.

Image source, Cheshire East Council

The council waived its own financial rules when granting deals to the firm.

In announcing his resignation in December, Mr Jones cited "infighting", adding "nothing in Core Fit concerns me".

Chris King
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

A man accused of murdering of a woman from Stoke-on-Trent is undergoing psychiatric assessments, a court heard earlier.

Barry Knapper, 31, did not appear before Stafford Crown Court earlier.

He is accused of killing Lisa Reynolds at the home they shared on Cliveden Road in Abbey Hulton last Sunday.

A judge will decide whether he is fit to stand trial at a later date.

A woman campaigning against the shared space scheme in Leek, says she has been contacted by more people, who are worried about the safety of the town centre's roads. 

It follows the inquest into the death of 80-year-old Derek Nixon who was hit by a lorry while trying to cross Ball Haye Street in April last year, when he was struck by the wheels of a tipper truck as it moved off from traffic lights.  

The coroner advised Staffordshire County Council to install safety barriers there and Sarah Gayton says that work needs to be done now.  

The local authority says it is waiting for the coroner's letter before any final decision is made.

Staffordshire Police has handed a £100m contract for upgrades to its IT system to defence firm Boeing. 

The force said the partnership would put the force at the "forefront of policing in the UK" and allow its officers to stay on the beat longer. 

The force's police and crime commissioner (PCC) Matthew Ellis said the agreement was a "pivotal moment" which would improve capability and lead to savings in IT running costs.

Image source, PA

Officers in the county have already been issued with body-worn cameras and mobile devices, which the force said would create time on the beat equivalent to employing 100 more officers.

Boeing, which supplies the British armed forces, beat 52 other companies to secure the contract, which could run for 10 years.

A fire at a factory in Fenton is being treated as arson, external.

It is thought to have started in a scout hut late last night, before spreading to the nearby Koch Glitsch factory on King Street, which suffered fire and smoke damage to both the ground and first floors, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue says. 

More than 100 drivers were caught speeding above 100 mph in the West Midlands in one year, according to figures obtained by the BBC.

In all, 104 motorists were caught doing between 101 and 127 mph - in 2014 to 2015 - on roads across the area. 

Of this total, 65 were caught on the M6 Toll road - the fastest speed of 127mph being clocked on the southbound route.

Image source, Getty Images

Read more on this story and the national picture on BBC News.

Neil Craig, head of operations for the Health and Safety Executive in the Midlands explained why it was bringing a prosecution relating to The Smiler crash.

He said: “This was a serious incident with life-changing consequences for five people."

As the owner of Alton Towers, under health and safety law Merlin Attractions Operations Ltd is responsible for managing the risks created by the operation of its rides.