Health expert expects County Hospital's children's A&E to stay shut
'Lucky escape' for four people in M6 crash
Snake in canal: Expert says it's an 'Albino Burmese Python'
Our updates from Friday 26 August
Nicola Beckford
Reporter, BBC Midlands Today
This lunchtime on BBC Midlands Today we'll have more on a grenade attack in Sweden that killed a boy from the West Midlands.
You'll also hear from a local paralympian who says Team GB's success is inspiring his own quest for gold in Rio.
Those stories and more on BBC One from 13:30.
Chris King
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke
This lunchtime, our top stories include:
- Uttoxeter's gold medal-winning Olympic swimmer Adam Peaty has told a press conference "I just want to inspire future Olympians", after Team GB returned today from Rio
- A Staffordshire businessman has been urged by a judge to make "genuine efforts" to make up with a former colleague to resolve a multi-million pound High Court dispute
- A car's been left as a burnt-out shell after a fire in Nantwich this morning, external
BBC Sport
From start to finish, Team GB have impressed at the Rio Games and upon their return. Why not reflect on each and every one of those 27 gold medals?
Staffordshire kicks things off in this montage, with starring roles for Uttoxeter's Adam Peaty and Stone's Joe Clarke.
Emma Atkinson
BBC News
The amount of household rubbish being rejected for recycling in England has increased by 84% over the past four years, government figures show.
A BBC Freedom of Information request found councils were unable to recycle 338,000 tons of waste in 2014-15 - up from about 184,000 tons in 2011-12.
Image source, Getty ImagesLocally, across the four years:
- Stoke-on-Trent City Council had 4,417 tons of waste rejected for recycling
- For Cheshire East Council the figure was 6,655 tons
- Staffordshire County Council had 13,414 tons rejected over the period
Department for Environment data also shows total recycled waste rose from 10.7m to 11m tons a year in the period.
Councils say they are working to stop people putting the wrong items in bins.
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
Uttoxeter's Adam Peaty's was among the 320 athletes and support staff who arrived back at Heathrow this morning after the Olympic closing ceremony.
He's been pictured waving from the plane's steps and earlier on the flight, he was photographed with his two medals on the flight deck.
Image source, Getty Images
Image source, Getty Images
Kay Crewdson
BBC weather presenter
Here's how your afternoon is looking - keep up-to-date with the latest forecasts on the BBC Weather website.
The weather for the West Midlands.
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
Carole Williams got up close with this cow in a field in Cheadle and then sent me the picture.
Image source, Carole WilliamsMeanwhile, Jamie Baxter posted this on the BBC Radio Stoke Facebook page, external saying it shows the Weaver Hills in north Staffordshire.
I love seeing your pictures of the area so do keep sending them in - other ways of getting them to me are email, Twitter, external and Instagram, external.
Image source, Jamie Baxter
BBC Radio Stoke
A car's been left as a burnt-out shell after a fire in Nantwich this morning., external
Image source, Cheshire Fire and Rescue ServiceCheshire Fire and Rescue Service says the blaze was at the junction of St Annes Lane and Welsh Row - it was called at 04:27.
A spokesperson said it was "well alight" on the car park when crews arrived - the suspected cause hasn't been revealed.
Budding fishermen in South Staffordshire may have a new place to hook a fish after the council approved plans, external to transform lakes on Green Belt land.
Stone's Olympic gold medal kayaker Joe Clarke tweeted this picture of a certain shiny object earlier. Team GB's record-breaking Olympics team landed in London this morning.
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Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
A woman was grabbed from behind while walking her daughter in a pushchair , externalduring an attempted robbery in Burton, according to police.
Staffordshire Police said the victim was going under St Peter's Bridge on Friday morning when the male attacker wrapped his arm around her neck and demanded money and her phone.
Image source, GoogleOfficers say her daughter was knocked over in the struggle. The man ran off empty-handed.
Neither the woman or her daughter was hurt.
Jack Dowling
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
A "hand grenade" discovered in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, has turned out to be a training device, police say.
Staffordshire Police, external says it was found in bushes on the car park at Vale Park yesterday evening by some children.
Image source, Getty ImagesOfficers cordoned off the area as bomb investigators moved in, finding the device not to be an explosive but a WW2 training dummy.
The force says it doesn't believe there was any malicious intent and no further investigations are planned.
An MP sparks a social media backlash after suggesting on Twitter the Olympics were won by the British Empire.
Read MoreJack Dowling
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke
This morning's headlines include:
- Staffordshire and Cheshire's Team GB athletes are returning home this morning after being part of a record-breaking Olympic performance at the Rio 2016 games
- A hand grenade discovered in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, has turned out to be a training device, police say
- A homelessness project in Stoke-on-Trent, external which says it helped hundreds of people last winter is planning to expand this year
Crewe sign ex-Bournemouth and Portsmouth midfielder Danny Hollands on a short-term deal until January.
Read More
BBC News England
The poet and broadcaster Pam Ayres has written a specially-commissioned piece to mark the return of Team GB from the Rio Olympics.
Team GB came second in the medal table with 27 golds - among the local winners, Uttoxeter's Adam Peaty won the men's 100m breaststroke and Stone's Joe Clarke took victory in the kayak K1.
Team GB return from Olympics: Poet Pam Ayres pays tribute
A mother-of-one crashed her ex-partner's car after a prank to get revenge on him, external turned disastrously wrong.
Image source, The SentinelA warning if you're travelling into Stafford from 09:30 today.
Police are escorting an abnormal load - a 377-tonne transformer - from Strongford along the A34 and Beaconside towards its destination at Alstom.
Staffordshire Police has warned there may be some delays, particularly around the Weston Road area.
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Jack Dowling
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke
This morning's headlines include:
- Staffordshire's gold medal winners Adam Peaty and Joe Clarke, along with other Team GB Olympians who stayed in Rio for the closing ceremony, will arrive home later this morning
- A hand grenade discovered in Burslem, Stoke-on-Trent, has turned out to be a training device, police say
- Burton Albion are preparing for one of the biggest games in the club's history tonight when they take on Liverpool in the EFL Cup at the Pirelli Stadium
BBC Travel
The A460 in Shareshill, Staffordshire is partially blocked at the M6 junction 11 island because of a crash.
Congestion is back to junction 1 of the M54.
