BBC Travel

No major problems to report on the roads at the moment.

The M6 is busy, as normal, and there's congestion on the A460 northbound, near Shareshill.

Welcome to Stoke and Staffordshire Live on Thursday morning. 

We'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 @bbcradiostoke, external or message via Facebook, external.

A campaign to secure £1bn of rail improvements to link north Wales and Cheshire with the planned HS2 line and fast trains to London is launched.

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.

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

What's the weather got in store for us this evening?

Staff at the Royal Stoke Hospital have renewed calls for patients to stay away from A&E unless it's a real emergency. 

Typically, the Royal Stoke and Stafford's County hospitals see 150 patients a day admitted over the summer. However, that has recently risen to 200 a day, the hospitals trust says, external.

Bosses say that's causing "gridlock" as patients are tying up beds, resulting in routine operations being cancelled.

University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust says about seven in 10 of those attending A&E do not need to be admitted and many of these could be treated elsewhere.

Stoke City defender Philipp Wollscheid says he is excited about the new season.

Speaking to the club's website, external, the German defender said the squad felt rested and "fresh" ahead of the new campaign.

The Potters have yet to make any signings, but chairman Peter Coates told the BBC he expected that to change in the coming weeks. 

Image source, AP

Health concerns over LED street lighting have been dismissed by Stoke-on-Trent City Council.

It's planning to swap 28,500 street lights for the LEDs to try and save nearly £1m a year in energy and maintenance costs. 

Critics say LED lights in residential areas can affect sleep patterns, because they are so bright.

But, Jack Brereton, cabinet member for regeneration and transport, says it's good value for money and a trial of the technology had "gone down extremely well" with residents.

Councillors make a final decision tomorrow.

Crewe Alexandra complete loan deal for Newcastle United academy midfielder Liam Smith until January 2017.

The Stoke Sentinel

A major shake-up of city centre roads is planned as part of a £1.3m transformation , externalof a street.

Here's the latest from the newsroom:

- Health concerns over LED street lighting are dismissed by Stoke-on-Trent City Council as it plans to swap 28,500 street lights to try and save nearly £1m a year

- Stoke City chairman Peter Coates says the club will bring in new faces before the start of the season

- Staff at Royal Stoke and Stafford County hospitals renew their calls for patients to stay away from A&E unless it's a real emergency

BBC Travel

There's queuing traffic on the A449 Wolverhampton Road inbound in Stafford, between the Rising Brook junction and the A34 Lichfield Road junction.

Burton say their home game against Derby County will be on TV.

BBC Weather Watchers

Thornhill Watch sent in this photo of a sunny Hednesford earlier.

If you want to send in your images, sign up to BBC Weather Watchers here.

Image source, Thornhill Watch

It's graduation day for over 120 apprentices in Staffordshire today.

The students have been gathering at the County Showground for the ceremony, which is open to Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire apprentices, external who have successfully completed a level of their training since last June.

"It is only right to celebrate the hard work and achievements of our apprentices and the contribution they are making to local businesses and communities with this special event," David Frost CBE, chairman of the Local Enterprise Partnership said.   

The county council says it still would like to see more do the same, highlighting a skills gap in high-tech engineering and health, which are growing sectors of the local economy.

Here's the latest from the newsroom:

- Manchester Metropolitan University's campus in Crewe could be closed, it's emerged

- An £8m plan to replace 28,500 street lights in Stoke-on-Trent with LED bulbs should be approved by councillors tomorrow

- About 120 apprentices graduate at County Showground today

Leek Post and Times

Calls for help from people suffering domestic violence in the Staffordshire Moorlands have risen by more than 200% during the last year., external

Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Stoke City chairman will bring in new faces before the start of the season, now Euro 2016 is over, chairman Peter Coates says.

The Potters, who returned to pre-season training last week, are currently preparing for the new season in Austria. 

Image source, Other

They've yet to add any new faces to manager Mark Hughes' squad for next season.  

Coates told BBC Radio Stoke that they do have transfer targets in mind.

Manchester Metropolitan University's campus in Crewe could be closed, it's been revealed.

There are three options being considered by the university's board of governors - creating "a very different" offering at the site, relocating it, or closure.

Image source, Google

The university says it has reached this point because of a decline in student numbers, despite recent investment at the campus, which has made it unsustainable financially. 

A decision will be made in September, after consulting staff and the community over the summer.

BBC Travel

Traffic's returning to normal on the M6 near Stoke-on-Trent after the earlier crash, Highways England says.