PM's by-election Brexit letter criticised
Noel Edmonds super-fan's tattoo tribute
Council spends £75k tackling pigeons and gulls
Plans to rebuild giant Peter Rabbit sculpture welcomed
Updates from Friday 17 February 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
Here's are some more of your pictures of Staffordshire and Cheshire that you've shared with us this Thursday:
Your pictures
Emma Thomas
Political reporter, BBC Radio Stoke
A 4.95% increase in council tax has been approved today, external by Staffordshire County Council.
The authority says it needs the extra money to fund social care.
The rise is set to add more than £50 a year to the bill for a Band D property.
Phil McCann
Cheshire Political Reporter, BBC News
Some bus routes could be scrapped or merged in east Cheshire in the future., external
Cheshire East Council is due to launch a consultation which could lead to that as it looks to save £3m from the budget that subsidises some services.
Image source, GoogleThe authority says their proposed review could lead to routes being combined, hours of operation changed or services stopped altogether.
But they say that would only come after a "thorough and detailed" consultation.
Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke
Dog owners are being urged to control their pets by police, after a four-year-old was bitten on the face in Stoke-on-Trent. , external
Image source, Family handoutOfficers are still trying to trace the owner of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier who walked off after the attack on Sunday in Blurton.
The boy's injuries meant he needed plastic surgery to his face and lip and the force says it is likely to be scarred for life.
Quote MessageIt is the owner's responsibility to look after their dog and know how their dog reacts with not just other dogs but with members of the public too."
Ch Insp Karen Stevenson, Staffordshire Police
Fly-tippers have left mountains of mess across the area this week with at least six huge loads of rubbish being dumped – in one case completely blocking a road, external.
Image source, Tamworth Herald
Sarah Robertson
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
A man's been punched in the face during a burglary in Stone, external.
Staffordshire Police say two men broke into the property on Priory Road in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Officers say they threatened both the man and also a woman who was in the house before making off with mobile phones and cash.
Lamont Howie
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke
Organisers of a Staffordshire food and drink festival say they fear the redevelopment of a park in Stone will mean there won't be enough space for their event.
A new Marks and Spencer, external, a leisure centre and Girl Guide headquarters, external are going to built at Westbridge Park.
Image source, GoogleThose behind the Stone Food and Drink Festival, external say they feel that won't leave them with enough space and want to be allowed to move on to the site of a current football pitch.
Stafford Borough Council says it believes there is enough room without the festival having to move on to that pitch.
BBC Midlands Today
On Midlands Today from 13:30 we'll hear how hundreds of black cabs and private hire taxis could be forced off the roads in part of the region.
It's because they're old and breach EU emissions standards.
We'll also look at why netball is currently enjoying a surge in popularity in the Midlands - both those stories and more from 13:30 on BBC One.
Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke
The Stoke City assistant manager Mark Bowen says Ramadan Sobhi will be an integral part of the team's run-in to the end of the season.
Image source, Michael Regan/Getty ImagesThe 20-year-old Egyptian recently returned from the Africa Cup of Nations and impressed in the 1-0 home win over Crystal Palace on Saturday.
Quote MessageHe's got an old head on his shoulders, nothing fazes him too much and this is a lad who's come into the Premier League, he's had to learn a new language, a new culture and everything about it and he's just taken it in his stride."
Mark Bowen, Stoke City assistant manager
A Nantwich store employee has demanded action to crack down on drunken revellers who leave shop fronts damaged and covered in litter. , external
Image source, Nantwich NewsAllen Cook
BBC Local Live
A reward's being offered by a woman in a Staffordshire village for stolen jewellery , externalwhich is of "sentimental value".
Image source, Staffordshire PoliceStaffordshire Police say the victim's house in Brewood was burgled on 19 January and thieves also took electronic items.
The force says the woman most wants the jewellery back as some of the items were inherited or given as gifts.
In a statement she's said: "Some of the pieces taken have a lot of sentimental value as they were given to me on important occasions in my life."
Stuart George
Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke
With campaigning in full swing for the Stoke-on-Trent Central by-election, BBC Radio Stoke will host a live studio debate with the main candidates this evening.
It was triggered by the resignation of Labour's Tristram Hunt, to take up a job with the V&A Museum.
The vote is being seen as a key electoral test for Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, whose party is also defending a seat in Copeland on the same day.
From 19:00 this evening the candidates for the Conservative, Green, Labour, Liberal Democrat and UKIP parties in Stoke Central will debate the issues.
It will also be broadcast via the BBC Radio Stoke Facebook page, external.
Russell Truran
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
The mother of a four-year-old boy who was attacked and bitten by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier , externalsays he's now terrified of dogs.
Staffordshire Police say it happened on Sunday afternoon near Tilehurst Place, Blurton.
The youngster needed plastic surgery after the attack and his mum, Gemma, says the surgeon "did a wonderful job".
She says though he has been left scared by dogs and, seeing one this morning, "was terrified of it".
Quote MessageThey did say that the muscle had been caught and he may have speech problems later. With him not being able to move his bottom lip much at the moment, there is a problem understanding his speech because he can't move the muscle yet."
Gemma, Mother of boy who was attacked by dog
BBC Derby Sport
Burton Albion boss Nigel Clough has said psychology could be key over the next few weeks as midweek action returns to the Championship.
Image source, Getty ImagesHe said: "Because you don't have any recovery time mentally, then if you have played on the Saturday then it's still very much in the forefront of the players' minds - so if you've conceded a goal you see heads drop straight away.
"So it becomes a mental and physical battle at this time of year."
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
A motorbiker's died after a crash with a car., external
It happened yesterday afternoon on Cannock Road, Burntwood, West Midlands Ambulance Service says.
Image source, GoogleThey say the 31-year-old rider from Cannock was conscious at first when ambulance crews arrived, but his condition worsened on the way to hospital and he suffered a cardiac arrest.
Paramedics say he was taken to the nearest A&E at Walsall Manor Hospital but his condition didn't improve and he died yesterday evening.
Rebecca Wood
BBC Midlands Today
A project aiming to restore a collection of fossils in Staffordshire, external is gathering pace.
The Geological Gallery at Biddulph Grange Garden is run by the National Trust after being set up in 1862 by James Bateman.
Rebecca Wood at the Geological Gallery
He hoped to convince visitors to the site of theories combining of-the-day geological finds with Christian theology. , external
After years of neglect, the trust is now trying to fill in holes in the walls at the gallery, by making replicas of the original fossils.
They've also had some loans and donations from other museums and are nearing the end of their search.
Calls have been made for highways engineers to analyse a notoriously hectic stretch of road after families and community leaders claimed it has become, external even busier.
Image source, The Sentinel
Lucy King
News Editor, BBC Radio Stoke
Staffordshire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) says spit hoods are needed by the force to protect officers from infection.
PPC Matthew Ellis' comments come as the force's officers are going to be issued with the controversial hoods to prevent arrested people spitting or biting.
Image source, Hampshire ConstabularyCampaign group Liberty has criticised the hoods, previously describing them as cruel and degrading.
The force has previously made them available in police vehicles and custody blocks, but not to every officer as part of standard issue kit.
Quote MessagePhysical violence can make the police's job very difficult but the wait, often for weeks, for an officer to find out if being spat at has caused infection, such as hepatitis must be horrendous for the officer and their family."
Matthew Ellis, Staffordshire Police and Crime Commissioner
Sarah Robertson
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
An investigation's been launched into how a fire started overnight at an industrial estate in Congleton. , external
Image source, GoogleCheshire Fire and Rescue Service say five fire crews spent over four hours tackling the blaze in a single-storey building on the Radnor Park Industrial Estate, Back Lane.
They say they had to spray water on to neighbouring buildings to stop the fire spreading and warned nearby residents to keep windows and doors shut.
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
A four-year-old boy "will probably be scarred for life" police say, after he was attacked and bitten by a Staffordshire Bull Terrier in Stoke-on-Trent., external
Staffordshire Police say the child was bitten in the face while walking with his family near Tilehurst Place, Blurton on Sunday afternoon.
The force says he suffered serious injuries, needing plastic surgery and add that his speech may be affected.
Officers say the dog wasn't on a lead at the time and the man with it walked off without offering help or his details.
