Jodie Looker
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

This afternoon's headlines for Staffordshire and Cheshire include: 

- Highways England, external says all lanes between junction 17 and 18 of the M6 have now full reopened following the earlier accident

- Over 2,000 homes and businesses that suffered a power cut in Newcastle-under-Lyme have had their electricity supply restored

- Plans to give parents up to 30 hours a week free childcare are to be trialled in Staffordshire, external

Monica Rimmer
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

Stoke City's goalkeeper Jack Butland has shared his delight on social media at being back at pre-season training. 

It comes as assistant manager, Mark Bowen, has tipped the shot-stopper to replace Joe Hart as England's number one. 

It's been a long road to recovery after the 23-year-old fractured his ankle in March during an England friendly with Germany. 

Chris King
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

More than 2,000 homes and businesses that suffered a power cut in Newcastle-under-Lyme this morning have had their electricity supply restored.

Western Power Distribution, external say engineers have fixed the fault which was affecting the ST5 area. 

BBC Weather Watchers

BBC Weather Watcher AppyIppy sent in this picture from Ipstones. It looks rather overcast but the blue sky is trying to peek through. The forecast is for it to brighten up later. 

Image source, AppyIppy

The Sentinel

Jack Butland says he has every sympathy with Joe Hart after his miserable Euro 2016 - but that won't stop him trying to grab the England number one jersey off his big mate, external.

Image source, The Sentinel

BBC Travel

North West motorway police, external have just updated the situation on the M6. Two lanes are now open to traffic, lane one remains closed. 

BBC Weather

Despite a damp and cloudy start to the day the pollen and UV levels are looking high, so you might need to pack the antihistamine and sun cream.

Highs of 21C (70F). 

Latest weather for the West Midlands

The contest to elect the next PM is under way, with ballot papers set to be sent out to Conservative Party members.

These knives were surrendered to police officers today, Fenton Police tweet, after a search was carried out.

Staffordshire Police is in the middle of a knife amnesty, external after a rise in knife crime over the last year.

Victoria Derbyshire

We've been hearing more today from Debi Allbutt, the Stoke-on-Trent widow whose husband was killed in a tank hit by friendly fire in Iraq in March 2003.

She spoke to Victoria Derbyshire today as we heard from her and other family members reacting to the publication of the Chilcot report.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

More now on a story we told you about earlier - a vase made by the historic potter Josiah Wedgwood in Staffordshire has sold at auction in London today, external for £400,000, far exceeding its £120,000 estimate.

Image source, Christie's

Auctioneer Christie's says it was created by Wedgwood himself on the opening day of his Etruria Factory on 13 June 1769.

BBC Sport

Stoke City's Jack Butland deserves his chance as England's first choice goalkeeper, according to World Cup winner Gordon Banks.   

Image source, Getty Images

Current number one Joe Hart has faced criticism after a couple of high profile errors at the European Championships against Wales and Iceland, of which the latter lead to England's embarrassing elimination at the last-16 stage.   

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

Theresa May and Andrea Leadsom will battle it out to become the next leader of the Conservative Party after Michael Gove was eliminated from the contest this afternoon.  

As the Burton MP Andrew Griffiths pointed out, it means the winner will become the UK's second ever female prime minister.

BBC Travel

There's been an accident on Little Chell Lane in Tunstall, Stoke-on-Trent near the Sproston Road junction.

A man is cleared of killing a man who died following a street attack in Stafford.

BBC Weather forecast for the West Midlands

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

A man has been cleared of killing a man who was discovered with serious head injuries on a Stafford street last year. 

Carl Tindall, 35, of Brocton, Stafford, was found lying in Cull Avenue in August 2015 and died in hospital two days later.

Jamie Sleigh, 36, from St John's Road in Cannock had been charged with manslaughter but a jury at Stafford Crown Court today found him not guilty. 

Two women and a man, charged with assisting an offender, were also found not guilty.

John Acres
BBC Radio Stoke

A former Stoke-on-Trent Central MP, who voted against the war, says it's unlikely that Tony Blair will face criminal charges over the invasion of Iraq in the wake of the Chilcot report. 

The long-awaited report said the ex-Prime Minister had overstated the threat posed by Saddam Hussein - and military action was not a last resort. 

Some families of soldiers killed in Iraq, including Reg Keys, said they would like the key players in the "shambolic episode" to be held "accountable" for their actions.

Sarah Robertson
Producer, BBC Radio Stoke

More support is going to be offered to people living with incurable cancer in Staffordshire.

A plan called 'Enhanced Supportive Care' has been developed and trialled by experts at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, external in Manchester. 

Image source, Google

NHS England says it's about giving patients early access to specialist support with the aim of avoiding the need for emergency admission to hospital.

They say in the trial it cut those kind of admissions by more than a quarter - the University Hospitals of North Midlands Trust, external is one of 21 cancer centres now adopting the initiative.