Jodie Looker
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

Here are some of the main stories we are looking at in Staffordshire and Cheshire:

- About £2m has been spent keeping community beds open during winter, the trust which runs Stoke and Stafford's hospitals says

- The Environment Agency says so far there's been no harmful pollution from a major fire in Stoke-on-Trent on Sunday

- "Bittersweet" memories for Robbie Williams's dad as he visits the pub in Burslem he once ran

The Sentinel

Police are trying to establish whether there is a link between two major fires which broke out within the space of just 15 hours.  , external

BBC Weather

After a dull and damp start things will brighten up during the morning. Highs of 9C/48F.  

Good morning and welcome to updates across Stoke and Staffordshire.

We'll have a full weather forecast for the morning shortly and there'll be news, sport, travel and more through the day.

You can also keep sending in your pictures of the area too - do that on email or, if you use Instagram, put them there with the tag #bbcstoke if you agree to share, external.

The former UKIP leader was in Stoke-on-Trent with successor Paul Nuttall ahead of a key by-election.

The officer stepped into the road after being threatened by someone wielding a fallen branch.

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. 

Chris King
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

Almost 80 people were left waiting on trolleys for more than 12 hours at the Royal Stoke University Hospital and the County Hospital, Stafford last month. 

Managers say the majority of the problems occurred over a two-day period at the beginning of January. 

It is however significantly lower than December's, external total of 178 and so far in February nobody has waited longer than 12 hours to be admitted.

Joan Cummins
Midlands Today reporter

On Midlands Today this evening, it's been revealed that a recycling plant in Stoke-in-Trent which was hit by a major fire over the weekend didn't have a permit and was operating illegally. 

Image source, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

The Environment Agency said it had already revoked the licence of Hanbury Plastics Recycling (Stoke) Ltd, in Milton, last October. 

We've approached the firm for content and, on BBC One from 18:30, we'll hear from local residents to the site.

Lichfield Mercury

Police are hunting for three boys who are believed to have been involved with the throwing of a brick at a car while it was travelling on the Burntwood Bypass, external.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

A safe's been stolen and tills attacked , externalat a business in a burglary in the middle of Lichfield. 

Image source, Google

Staffordshire Police say the break-in happened early on Saturday morning on Bird Street, Stowe. 

The force says the burglars forced open a ground floor window to get in.

Sarah Robertson
Producer, BBC Radio Stoke

A fire in Stafford that saw 10 adults, three children and eight pets rescued from a building is now being treated as suspicious., external

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service says it began in the basement of the property on Wolverhampton Road on 27 January. 

No-one was seriously injured in the fire and the service say it was concluded to be suspicious now due to a "lack of evidence of an accidental cause".

BBC Inside Out

Girls in local authority care may have faced experimental drug treatment after being channelled via a remand home, BBC Inside Out can reveal. 

Breadsall Remand Home in Derby took girls from the Midlands, including Stoke-on-Trent, and Yorkshire and sent many to Aston Hall Hospital. 

The hospital has been accused of using a discredited "truth serum" therapy on patients as young as 11. 

Image source, NOTTINGHAM CITY COUNCIL/PICTURETHEPAST.ORG

Derbyshire Safeguarding Children Board, a multi-agency body including police, health and social services, says it is working to ensure the allegations are thoroughly investigated and the appropriate support is in place for people who need it.

Derbyshire County Council, which was ultimately responsible for the Breadsall home, said it could not comment while investigations were under way. 

BBC Inside Out East Midlands has more on this story on BBC One from 19:30.

Charlie Slater
BBC Weather presenter

To get the very latest updated forecasts, you can check in with the BBC Weather website at any time.

John Acres
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

A fire among bales of fly-tipped plastic rubbish in the Staffordshire Moorlands is believed to be arson. 

It's been confirmed it started in waste that was dumped more than a week ago on the Biddulph Valley Way near Knypersley. 

Fire crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service worked through the night to bring it under control. 

Staffordshire Police this afternoon say they haven't found a link between this blaze and the fire at Hanbury Plastics Recycling (Stoke) Ltd, Milton but "it cannot be ruled out at this time".

Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

A last look at today's top stories and they include:

- Police say this afternoon they can't rule out a link between a fly-tipped rubbish fire near Biddulph last night and a blaze that destroyed a recycling plant in Stoke-on-Trent

- A police officer, who was hit by a car while being threatened by a man with a tree branch near Lichfield, may never be able to return to work, external

- A fire in Stafford that saw 10 adults, three children and eight pets rescued from a building is now being treated as suspicious, external

Chris King
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

New powers to deal with anti-social behaviour have come into force in Newcastle-under-Lyme today. , external

A Public Space Protection Order has come into force in the town centre. 

The borough council says it follows complaints about people drinking, taking drugs and causing trouble in the streets as well as issues with graffiti and vandalism. 

It says anyone caught breaking the order could be fined up to a £1,000. 

Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

A major fire in Stoke-on-Trent yesterday is a low risk to public health, according to the city council.

Smoke from yesterday's fire at Hanbury Plastics in Milton could be seen for miles, and Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service says they may remain on site all week.

Investigators say they believe they know where the fire began, but not yet the cause. 

The city council says about the smoke "current information suggests a low risk to public health".

BBC Weather Watchers

Some crisp morning views have been uploaded by our BBC Weather Watchers after the frosty start to today.

These two we've picked out are from Staffordshire users Vulcaster in Barlaston and Gavin and Linda in Haughton.

Image source, Vulcaster

Image source, Gavin and Linda in Haughton

Burton Mail

There are calls to delay the completion of a new secondary school near Branston after council chiefs revealed they need to allow large construction lorries to drive through a village during the building work have been flatly turned down., external

Image source, Burton Mail