Summary

  • Nic Cruwys attack: Five change plea in Watford football fan trial

  • Teenagers force train into emergency stop after standing on level crossing

  • V Festival organiser confident of putting on a show

  • Updates from Friday 19 August

Live Reporting

Allen Cook

  1. Tigger bounces back after legal row

    A lost pet cat is back home after a legal row prevented him from being returned to his family.

    Read More

  2. BBC Weather Watcher pictures: Stoke-on-Trent and Stafford

    BBC Weather Watchers

    Bright blue skies and fluffy clouds - that's pretty much how you can sum up the pictures we've been getting in the last 24 hours from our BBC Weather Watchers.

    You can see more of the photos and sign up to volunteer yourself on the BBC website.

    Stoke-on-TrentDJ
    Staffordmbamber

  3. Football: Butland could return for Stoke at weekend

    Matt Sandoz
    Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

    There's good news this afternoon for Stoke City fans on Jack Butland's injury.  

    Forty-year-old back-up goalkeeper Shay Given started for the Potters against Middlesbrough on Saturday after Butland suffered an ankle injury in training.  

    Jack Butland making a save in pre-seasonGetty Images

    It was the same ankle he broke when playing for England in the 3-2 friendly win over Germany in March.

    Speaking after the 1-1 draw at the weekend, manager Mark Hughes said Butland would be out for a "couple of weeks rather than anything more sinister".

    But now it looks like he could be back even sooner - assistant manager Mark Bowen's told BBC Radio Stoke it may even be in time for the game against Manchester City on Saturday.

  5. Latest: Robbers with hammer target shop; underage drivers 'crashing cars on estate'; 'data row' cat owner reunited with pet

    Lee Thomas
    Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

    Here's a look at the main headlines this afternoon: 

    - Men in balaclavas have robbed a supermarket, threatening staff with a hammer and then locking them in a storeroom  

    - Underage drivers are using old vehicles and crashing them into walls and cars on a housing estate, police say

    - The owner of a cat which vanished four years ago had to fight to reclaim him, despite microchipping her pet  

  6. Disruption to rail services from Nuneaton towards Rugeley

    Safety checks are being made at Tamworth Low Level station which is causing disruption to London Midland services from Nuneaton towards Rugeley Trent Valley, Network Rail says.

    Trains may run non-stop from Atherstone to Rugeley Trent Valley.

    The disruption is expected to continue until end of service.

  7. Shoppers concerned over Uttoxeter road's safety

    Lee Thomas
    Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

    Shoppers in Uttoxeter have told BBC Radio Stoke it's only a matter of time before someone is injured or killed by a vehicle on the High Street.

    A pop-up bollard has remained permanently down on the road after Staffordshire County Council says it could no longer afford to fund its operation.  

    Bollard warning sign on High Street, UttoxeterGoogle

    However with drivers using the road as a cut-through, local people have raised concerns to BBC Radio Stoke that the street's become dangerous. 

    The county council says it's looking into the matter. 

  8. Watch: Tonight and tomorrow's weather forecast

    Kay Crewdson
    BBC weather presenter

    There are also latest weather forecasts on the BBC website.  

    Kay Crewdson has your afternoon weather forecast

  9. FT: Stoke 1-4 Man City

    Reaction and analysis plus listen to BBC Radio 5 live as Manchester City beat Stoke in the early Premier League kick-off.

    Read More

  10. 'Data row' cat owner reunited with pet

    The owner of a Bengal cat which vanished four years ago had to fight to reclaim him despite microchipping her pet, she says.

    Read More

  11. Watch: Cheshire river 'threatened' by invasive weed

    John Acres
    BBC Radio Stoke

    A plant is threatening large areas of a south Cheshire river, conservationists in Nantwich say.

    The town's civic society says sections of the River Weaver have suffered an invasion of Himalayan Balsam in the last two years.  

    Cheshire river 'threatened' by invasive weed

    The plant can spread quickly and affect wildlife and erode river banks, according to the Royal Horticultural Society which says it can also kill off other plants. 

    The help of volunteers is being sought to help clear it.  

  13. On BBC Midlands Today from 13:30: Midlands holiday 'staycations'

    BBC Midlands Today

    A record number of us are expected to holiday in the UK this year, according to a number of tourism surveys. 

    People in tentsGetty Images

    The scene in Kingsbury

    This lunchtime on Midlands Today from 13:30 we're looking at why it appears an increasing number of holidaymakers are camping or caravanning in the Midlands.

  14. Football: Port Vale likely to face Rochdale without striker Cicilia

    Lee Blakeman
    Port Vale commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

    Port Vale are looking to continue their unbeaten start to the league season tonight as they host Rochdale.

    But they do have a major injury concern ahead of the match - striker Rigino Cicilia is not expected to feature having left the field after only 10 minutes of their win over Southend.

    Rigino CiciliaPort Vale FC

    He is expected to be fit, though, for Saturday's trip to Swindon. 

    Port Vale go in to tonight's game having taken four points from their first two games in League One this season. 

  15. Latest: Hammer robbery at supermarket; shoppers concern over Uttoxeter road; fire service free trapped hedgehog

    Lee Thomas
    Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

    This lunchtime's headlines:

    - Men in balaclavas have robbed a Staffordshire supermarket, threatening staff with a hammer and then locking them in a storeroom

    - Shoppers in Uttoxeter have told BBC Radio Stoke it's only a matter of time before someone is injured or killed by a vehicle on the High Street

    - The fire service was called to force apart a fence in which a hedgehog was stuck in Staffordshire - a trap that had led the animal to suffer a "gaping wound" at the paws of a dog

  16. Cash, alcohol and cigarettes stolen in hammer robbery

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    Men in balaclavas have robbed a Staffordshire supermarket after threatening staff with a hammer and then locking them in a storeroom. 

    Staffordshire Police says the two men followed a member of staff into Spar on Windmill Bank, Wombourne on Sunday morning. 

    Spar on Windmill Bank, WombourneGoogle

    They made one employee open two safes and empty shelves of alcohol and cigarettes into a duvet cover which they took, along with bags of cash. 

    Officers say the workers were only released from the storeroom when another member of staff couldn't get in and raised the alarm.

  17. Watch: This afternoon's weather

    Kay Crewdson
    BBC weather presenter

    The BBC Weather website also has the latest weather forecasts for Staffordshire and Cheshire.

    The latest weather for the West Midlands

  18. Engineers sent to Sandbach water leak

    Engineers are being sent out to fix a leak on Hawthorne Drive in Sandbach this morning, United Utilities says.

    This Twitter post cannot be displayed in your browser. Please enable Javascript or try a different browser.View original content on Twitter
    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.
    Skip twitter post

    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 and privacy policy before accepting. To view this content choose ‘accept and continue’.

    The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites.