Summary

  • Man jailed for life for housemate murder

  • Council apologises for 'lackadaisical' mistakes over vulnerable girl's care

  • Heroin and cocaine found in Stoke-on-Trent raid

  • Harry Potter wannabes contest British Quidditch Cup

  • Updates on Friday 10 March 2017

  1. Station platform chosen for new art piecepublished at 11:43 Greenwich Mean Time 12 March 2017

    The artist said she hoped the new interactive art piece would bring commuters together.

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  2. Burton Albion 1-0 Nottingham Forestpublished at 18:51 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March 2017

    Cauley Woodrow scores the only goal of the game as Burton move above Nottingham Forest in the Championship table.

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  3. Crewe Alexandra 1-2 Newport Countypublished at 17:02 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March 2017

    A great start for caretaker boss, Mike Flynn, as bottom club Newport fight back to win at Crewe.

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  4. Five things you may have missedpublished at 12:52 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March 2017

    Strange red cards, a penalty hero and Burton breaking new ground - BBC Sport rounds up Saturday's Football League action.

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  5. Port Vale 3-2 Swindon Townpublished at 09:58 Greenwich Mean Time 11 March 2017

    Port Vale win for the first time in nine league games, with JJ Hooper scoring twice as they beat Swindon at Vale Park.

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  6. Our live coverage across the daypublished at 18:00 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    We'll be back with our usual mix of news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 on Monday, but keep an eye out here for more updates this evening.

  7. Football: Kightly could return for Burton's first-time hosting Nottingham Forest published at 17:58 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    BBC Sport

    Burton Albion could have  on-loan Burnley winger Michael Kightly  back for this weekend's game with Nottingham Forest.

    He's missed three of the past four games with a hamstring injury.  

    Michael KightlyImage source, Rex Features

    Fellow Brewers attacker Lucas Akins is also in with a chance of featuring.  

    This will be the first ever meeting between Burton and Nottingham Forest at the Pirelli Stadium in any competition. 

    Quote Message

    We have got three brilliant draws against Derby, Bristol City and Sheffield Wednesday. We are are hard to beat and hard to create chances against."

    Nigel Clough, Burton Albion manager

  8. Tamworth raid finds 8,000 fake cigarettespublished at 17:52 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    Trading standards officers have seized 8,000 illegal cigarettes and 2kg of tobacco in a raid on a Tamworth shop. 

    Staffordshire County Council say they were found yesterday and included fake Richmond and Mayfair branded cigarettes 

    The seized tobaccoImage source, Staffordshire County Council
  9. On Midlands Today from 18:30: West Midlands blight costing millions published at 17:44 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    BBC Midlands Today

    We look at the blight on our landscape of fly-tipping this evening on Midlands Today.

    Fly-tipping

    It's costing councils in the West Midlands millions of pounds to clean up and looks to be getting worse. 

    On BBC One from 18:30 we'll be trying to find out how the local authorities are trying to fight back.

  10. New bells prepare to toll at village churchpublished at 17:31 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    John Acres
    Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

    A Staffordshire Moorlands church has had six new bells fitted today, after five years of fundraising. , external

    People in Ipstones have been raising several thousand pounds with St Leonard's Church.

    One of the bells

    The church has traditionally had just the one bell but had a tower built with the capacity for more. 

    Those involved say they want the bells to be heard for the first time on Easter Sunday.

  11. Watch: Latest weather forecast for the West Midlandspublished at 17:23 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    Rebecca Wood
    BBC Midlands Today

    Overnight it is going to remain mostly cloudy with some hill fog. However, there will also be a few cloud breaks around at times. Lows of 8C (46F).

    Find out more about the weekend ahead .

    Media caption,

    Rebecca Wood has your forecast

  12. Three things you wanted to knowpublished at 17:18 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    You have been using Your Questions to ask about the West Midlands. Here are some of our answers.

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  13. Watch: Burton praised for 'passion' for beer brewingpublished at 17:13 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    Ben Sidwell
    BBC Midlands Today

    Organisers of an international beer event in Burton have praised the "passion" in the town for brewing.   

    Media caption,

    Ruth Evans

    The International Festival of Beer 2017, external is taking place on Horninglow Street at the National Brewing Centre. 

    Organiser Ruth Evans says the "one thing" that they see in Burton is a passion for the history and future of brewing.  

  14. Heroin and cocaine found in Stoke-on-Trent raidpublished at 17:05 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    Lee Thomas
    Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

    Heroin and crack cocaine have been found by police in a raid in Stoke-on-Trent. , external

    Staffordshire Police say it started when a 19-year-old man from London was stopped in his car on Fletcher Road on Wednesday. 

    Officers say he fled the scene but was caught shortly afterwards. 

    They say from this, they searched a house in Hanley and found the drugs, along with mobile phones and scales, and arrested three more men.

  15. Man jailed for life for housemate murderpublished at 16:52 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    David Stanton died from his injuries following an attack in an alleyway in 2012.

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  16. Watch: Harry Potter game gets its fourth British Quidditch Cup published at 16:50 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    It was invented by author JK Rowling for her Harry Potter books but the sport of Quidditch is heading for its fourth British Quidditch Cup., external

    Media caption,

    Quidditch players

    Hosted at Rugeley Leisure Centre in Staffordshire, teams from across the country will be competing. 

    The first cup took place in 2013 and 32 teams are set to take part this year .  

  17. BBC Weather Watcher pictures: Congleton and Eccleshallpublished at 16:41 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    BBC Weather Watchers

    Here are two of the many reasons we love our BBC Weather Watchers - it's the great photos so many of them upload from where they live.

    These two are from Staffordshire user chris1200 in Eccleshall and Dawn Treader in Congleton, Cheshire.

    CongletonImage source, Dawn Treader
    EccleshallImage source, chris1200
  18. Your say: Government gives £8.5m to planned Stoke-on-Trent link road published at 16:29 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    You've had plenty to say about the news that the government's given £8.5m towards a £51m plan to link up two parts of Stoke-on-Trent. 

    The chancellor revealed the cash yesterday, external towards the proposed Hanley-Bentilee Link Road.

    Traffic on Dividy RoadImage source, Google

    On the BBC Radio Stoke Facebook page, John Cartlidge said, external : "The road was proposed years ago, it should have been built back then and would have saved thousands of hours of people sitting in traffic on Dividy and Werrington roads." 

    While on the same theme, Carole Ware added, external : "That road plan has been taken off the shelf, dusted and put back more times than it should have been."

    Meanwhile, thinking ahead, Steve Ball posted, external : "Just hope they don't let it get full of potholes same as all the rest."

  19. Cheshire PCC's relocation criticisedpublished at 16:09 Greenwich Mean Time 10 March 2017

    Phil McCann
    Cheshire Political Reporter, BBC News

    There's been criticism of Cheshire's Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) after it was revealed he's moving his offices out of Cheshire Police's headquarters and into his home town of Warrington.  , external

    David Keane

    David Keane remains a Labour councillor in the town and insists the move will save £50,000 a year. 

    But the chair of the county's police and crime panel says people may think he's just moving closer to home., external