Updates on Wednesday 13 April 2016
News, sport, travel and weather updates to resume at 08:00 on Thursday
BBC Travel
There's very slow traffic southbound on the A449 around Gailey in Staffordshire after a crash.
There's debris on the road, which is blocked for recovery work, affecting motriists heading for Standeford.
Jennifer Meierhans
BBC News Online
A drug dealer from Staffordshire has been jailed after a train passenger texted police about a man who "smelled of weed" and was acting "on edge".
Image source, British Transport PoliceThe passenger described Daniel Sheldon and officers were waiting for him when he got off at Wolverhampton station on 4 March.
The 33-year-old of Sowdley Green, Wheaton Aston, was carrying a kilo of cannabis in a large paint pot worth £5,000 and had £1,000 of cash on him, police said.
He was jailed for 16 months after admitting intent to supply cannabis at Wolverhampton Crown Court on Monday.
Monica Rimmer
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
There's a huge variety in the kind of pictures our BBC Weather Watchers upload for us.
This sunset's come from Beachcomber in Kiddemore Green, Staffordshire.
Image source, BeachcomberWhile Videoman in Leek took this picture of sheep in the Staffordshire Moorlands.
Want to be a BBC Weather Watcher? It's simple, just head to the website and sign up.
Image source, Videoman
Lamont Howie
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke
A van's crashed into the front of a house, external in Cheshire.
Image source, Cheshire Fire and Rescue ServiceCheshire Fire and Rescue Service say no-one was in the home on Manchester Road, Knutsford when it happened just after 06:00 this morning.
Firefighters say the driver was treated by paramedics and they isolated gas and electricity supplies before calling out a structural engineer.
Euan Duncan
BBC Local Live
Burton's MP has raised the murder of Ayeeshia Smith with the prime minister, calling for serious case reviews to be more independent.
The 21-month-old's mother Kathryn Smith, 23, was jailed for life earlier this week.
In the Commons, Andrew Griffiths said the toddler was known to social services but not enough was done.
David Cameron said the crime "simply took your breath away" but said he would wait for the serious case review first to get to "the bottom of what went wrong".
BBC Midlands Today
We'll have the latest on a football fan getting compensation after being "repeatedly kneed in the head" by a police officer - and where Citizen Khan will be appearing in the Midlands as part of a comedy tour.
Plenty to get stuck into, you can see it all from 13:30 on BBC One.
A 25-year-old motorcyclist who had consumed alcohol and taken a cocktail of drugs before getting on his bike, lost control of it and hit a tree just moments after waving at a friend, external, an inquest heard.
Image source, Express and StarA dog's been rescued from a rabbit hole in Staffordshire after being stuck there for two days, the county's fire service says.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
BBC Travel
A lane is shut on the A50 eastbound in Meir at the Tesco roundabout because of an accident.
Congestion is back to the Meir Tunnel Interchange.
Jack Dowling
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke
This afternoon's main headlines for Staffordshire and Cheshire include:
- A collection of rare ornaments worth up to £100,000 have been stolen in a Staffordshire burglary
- A drug dealer from Staffordshire has been jailed after a train passenger texted police about a man who "smelled of weed" and was acting "on edge"
- A rugby tournament is to take place this weekend, external in memory of an army corporal who took her own life in Staffordshire after struggling with depression
BBC Midlands Today
A rugby tournament is to take place this weekend, external in memory of an army corporal who took her own life in Staffordshire after struggling with depression.
Charlotte Lloyd was found in a field in Stonnall in 2013. The 37-year-old played rugby for the army and also served with West Midlands Police.
Her father has organised Saturday's tournament to raise money for the mental health charity MIND, external.
It's against a backdrop of rising suicide rates across the West Midlands, external.
Jennifer Meierhans
BBC News Online
A collection of rare ornaments worth up to £100,000 have been stolen in a Staffordshire burglary.
Image source, Staffordshire PoliceThe haul, external, from Little Aston, near Sutton Coldfield, featured pieces by Italian porcelain manufacturers Capodimonte including the Resurrection of Christ, worth £12,000 and the Last Supper valued, at £6,000.
The burglary happened between Thursday 10 March and Saturday 12 March.
Police have launched a nationwide appeal, external to trace them.
Charlie Slater
BBC Weather presenter
The BBC website also has the latest weather forecasts for any part of Staffordshire or Cheshire.
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
There are elections taking place on 5 May but you will only be able to vote if you’ve registered to do so - and the deadline is next Monday.
Image source, Getty ImagesIf you are not already registered, you can do so by visiting the following website: https://www.gov.uk/register-to-vote, external.
And, if you want to find out more about the elections then you can visit the voter information website here: http://www.aboutmyvote.co.uk/, external or the BBC News elections homepage: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/election/2016.
Train passengers are facing more disruption over the May bank holidays, external say Network Rail as they look to finish off upgrading the West Coast main line between Stafford and Crewe.
Allow Twitter content?
This article contains content provided by Twitter. We ask for your permission before anything is loaded, as they may be using cookies and other technologies. You may want to read Twitter’s cookie policy, external and privacy policy, external before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.
Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke
Stoke City's goalkeeper Shay Given says he's ready to make his return to the first team this weekend if called on.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe 39-year-old Republic of Ireland international injured his knee while playing for his country last October and hasn't played competitively since.
Given told BBC Radio Stoke he's desperate to make his Stoke league debut.
Quote MessageI'm ready. I've not spoken to the gaffer about the situation, obviously he wanted me to play last week in the reserves and to be honest I was due to play again in the reserves on Saturday just gone but I'm ready."
Shay Given, Stoke City goalkeeper
A mum posed as her 12-year-old daughter to snare a father-of-five Facebook pervert, external grooming the schoolgirl for sexual pleasure.
Image source, The Sentinel
Emma Thomas
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
Staffordshire's fire service says it now knows the cause of a major fire at a warehouse in Stafford last month, but is not yet making that public.
It involved up to 40,000 litres of oil and at its height more than 60 firefighters tackled the blaze.
Witnesses described barrels exploding, as this footage from the Express & Star newspaper, external captured.
Footage from the Express & Star newspaper
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service, external says a formal report will be published on the fire at Aston Fields Industrial Estate in the near future.
The Environment Agency meanwhile says work is still ongoing to stop oil polluting water courses in the area.
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
A theme of birds in these couple of pictures which have been sent in of Staffordshire and Cheshire.
Firstly this one's from Vickie Whitaker in Chesterton, Staffordshire.
Image source, Vickie WhitakerWhile Chris Hollingworth took this picture at Westport Lake, Stoke-on-Trent.
Always a pleasure to get your photos and you can send them in on email, tweet @BBCRadioStoke, external or use Instagram and add #bbcstoke to the description, external.
Image source, Chris Hollingworth
Lee Blakeman
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke
The main headlines this morning include:
- Figures obtained by the BBC show that over 200 dogs suspected of being banned breeds have been seized across Staffordshire and Cheshire in the last three years
- Staffordshire's fire service says it now knows the cause of a major fire at a warehouse in Stafford last month
- Uttoxeter swimmer Adam Peaty secured his place at the Rio Olympics with gold at the British Swimming Championships in Glasgow
