Summary

  • New 24-hour emergency mental health team for Staffordshire

  • Colleges complete merger with 11,000 students

  • Football: Burton's Ben Turner banned for racial abuse

  • Saido Berahino: Former manager Tony Pulis says 'life is too short' to dwell on the past

  • Updates from Friday 31 March 2017

  1. Your say: Council puts £4.55m towards planned new 140-room Hilton hotel published at 16:00 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    You've been having your say on news that Stoke-on-Trent City Council's putting £4.55m towards the development of a new 140-room hotel in Hanley.  , external

    The authority says the Hilton Garden Inn will be built outside the Smithfield buildings to be opened in 2019, creating 50 jobs. 

    The land at Smithfield development

    On the BBC Radio Stoke Facebook page, Dan Walker posted, external : "Great idea, it's a shame there's little to do in the city centre in the way of nightlife to attract these big earners the city intends on reaching." 

    Denise Ball wrote, external : "We already have three hotels each within walking distance of one another, is there really need for another, or does the council need something else to throw our money at?" 

    Andy Kimberley added, external : "If they can build an hotel then they could build flats to relieve the homeless situation in the whole of Stoke-on-Trent."

    And Sarah Clarke commented, external : "Why not make a splash park for kids like at Stafford Park? Another hotel do we really need another?"

  2. Watch: Calls for action over drug addicts in city centrepublished at 15:18 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Russell Truran
    Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

    Concerns have been raised about the number of people taking drugs in part of Stoke-on-Trent.  

    Media caption,

    Georgina Stanway on drug taking concerns

    Staffordshire Police says it is working to bring down anti-social behaviour in Hanley. 

    The concerns came from an incident on Tuesday when people tell BBC Radio Stoke they saw a man supposedly being injected with drugs "in broad daylight" on Piccadilly. 

    They included Georgina Stanway, the manager of Klay Pizzeria, who says she wants to see more help to make people feel safe in the city centre and for drug addicts.  

  3. Appeal for missing teenage boy with links to Coventrypublished at 14:56 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Chanise Evans
    BBC Online

    Concerns have been raised for a teenage boy who was reported missing three weeks ago, police say., external

    Mohammed AlibegiImage source, Warwickshire Police

    Mohammed Alibegi, 14, was last seen in the Coppice Drive area of Tamworth, Staffordshire, around 09:45 on 7 March and was reported missing later that day.

    Warwickshire Police says he may have connections to Coventry and speaks little English.

  4. Seventh man jailed for jewellery raids by bike across England published at 14:51 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    Another Romanian man has been jailed for his part in jewellery store raids across England, including in Stoke-on-Trent.

    Six members of a gang have already been jailed for stealing jewellery worth more than £3m from 11 stores.

    Media caption,

    CCTV of raid on Beaverbrooks, Stoke-on-Trent

    Cosmin Moraru, 25, from Spring Grove, Birmingham was today jailed for eight years and two months after pleading guilty to conspiring to burgle and conspiring to commit arson in 2015. 

    In the raid in Stoke-on-Trent, jewellery worth £400,000 was stolen from Beaverbooks, Hanley in March 2016. 

    Staffordshire Police say the gang set fire to cars and car tyres as well as property to distract emergency services , external and tied industrial cables across roads to block routes.

  5. Warning after 'increasing trend' of wheelie bin arsonspublished at 14:30 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    About 20 wheelie bins have been stolen and set on fire in Staffordshire and people are being warned it's an " increasing trend, external ". 

    Staffordshire Police says the areas affected in the last fortnight include Audley, Bignall End, Chesterton and Bradwell.

    Officers say they've been visiting the youngsters believed to be involved and speaking to them and their parents.

  6. Watch: Thursday's pick of your pictures of Staffordshire and Cheshire published at 14:12 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    The photos you take of Staffordshire and Cheshire keep on coming - here are four more I've picked out.

    To send your ones in, either email them to me or, if you use Instagram, you can put them there and then add the tag #bbcstoke , external to show you agree to share them.

    Media caption,

    Your pictures

  7. Watch: Council defends £4.55m spend towards new hotelpublished at 13:45 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Liz Ellis
    Presenter, BBC Radio Stoke

    Stoke-on-Trent City Council has defended its decision to spend £4.55m to help bring a new hotel to Hanley.  , external

    Media caption,

    Site of planned new hotel

    The authority's announced the 140-room Hilton Garden Inn will be built outside the Smithfield buildings and should open in two years' time. 

    Council leader Dave Conway told BBC Radio Stoke that it's going to be money well spent as "it will create jobs" and is putting the city "on the map".  

  8. Shopping problems to be raised with councilpublished at 13:22 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Chris King
    Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

    Traders will meet with Stone Town Council this evening to discuss problems with the High Street.  , external

    High Street, StoneImage source, Google

    A number of businesses have closed over recent months with the town's Co-op store due to shut later this year. 

    The council says tonight's meeting will look at ways of bringing shoppers back to the town. 

  9. On Midlands Today from 13:30: Toad 'ladders' to save amphibian lives published at 13:00 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Kevin Reide
    Midlands Today

    On Midlands Today this lunchtime, we'll hear how there's an experiment to try to stop frogs, toads and newts becoming trapped in roadside gullies being carried out in the region. 

    Toads

    Every year, millions of the creatures die this way but now volunteers are installing specially created ladders, which allow them to climb their way back to safety. 

    We'll have more from 13:30 on BBC One.

  10. Power cuts hits 1,300 homes in Stoke-on-Trentpublished at 12:20 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    More than 1,300 homes are without power this afternoon in Stoke-on-Trent.

    Western Power Distribution says it's working to get the electricity back on by 13:30.

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  11. Thirteen arrested in cannabis drugs raidspublished at 12:06 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Thirteen people have been arrested in raids across the North West, Wales and Staffordshire as part of a police investigation into suspected cannabis farms.

    Police making a raidImage source, Merseyside Police

    Officers from Titan - the regional organised crime unit - targeted 18 properties in a number of areas, including Merseyside, Cheshire, Staffordshire and west Wales.

    The raids are the culmination of a six-month operation.

    CannabisImage source, Merseyside Police
  12. Football: Stoke drawing at Leicester 'would be a good result' published at 11:19 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Matt Sandoz
    Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

    The former Stoke City defender Gerry Taggart says a point at Leicester City would be a good result for Mark Hughes's team this weekend. 

    
          Daniel Amartey of Leicester City (C) scores his sides second goal against Stoke in December
        Image source, Michael Regan/Getty Images

    Leicester have won their last four games in a row and scored 11 goals in the process. 

    Taggart, who played for both teams, told BBC Radio Stoke the Premier League champions are in good form. 

    Quote Message

    Mark Hughes likes to play a style of football that gets results in every game so it could be a very, very good game to watch this. Both teams wanting to go out and win it, both teams wanting to go on the attack early on and so it makes for an interesting game."

    Gerry Taggart , Former Stoke City and Leicester City defender

  13. Double cream spillage shuts M6: Puns flood in on social media published at 10:57 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    Since we told you earlier about a spillage of double cream that completely shut the M6 in Staffordshire this morning, external , the puns have come flooding in. 

    No-one was hurt in the collision between junctions 10A and 10 and the carriageway reopened in around half an hour. 

    Tanker just after collisionImage source, Highways England

    Gary Costello tweeted, external : "Why close the motorway and whip up hysteria?" 

    Jayne Reece went with this, external on the BBC Radio Stoke Facebook page: "He cream cracker-ed the motorway then." 

    While Daniel Williams posted probably the best, external : "How dairy! Should be easy enough to skim off though." 

    And David Owen simply offered more help with the clean-up, external : "My cat is on the way to help lap it up."

  14. Rugby union: Lichfield star explains switch from England to Romania published at 10:35 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    BBC Sport

    A former England rugby union junior winger who grew up in Staffordshire has told the BBC how he came to play senior rugby for Romania.

    Jack CobdenImage source, PA

    Jack Cobden was raised in Lichfield and played alongside current England stars like Ben Youngs, Courtney Lawes and Jamie George in the Under-20 World Cup final in 2009. 

    But on the same day that trio helped England retain their Six Nations title  with victory over Scotland , Cobden switched allegiances as he made his debut for adopted country Romania in the Rugby Europe Championship.  

    You can read more of his story here on the BBC Sport website.

    Quote Message

    I appreciate every opportunity I got to play for England as a junior, they were all great experiences and helped me get my opportunity to play in Romania. I'm grateful for that. Right now, I'm focused on playing for Romania and doing as well as I can for my new country."

    Jack Cobden , Current Romanian rugby union player

  15. M6 double cream spill: Carriageway shut again for sweepingpublished at 10:14 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Allen Cook
    BBC Local Live

    Part of the M6 in Staffordshire's been shut again, following a spillage of double cream this morning.

    Highways England shut it for the first time between junctions 10A and 10 at around 07:00 to treat the spill.

    They've shut it again at around 09:45 to sweep the carriageway., external

    Lorries sweeping M6 after spillageImage source, Highways England
  16. New water plant aims to cut use of chemical treatmentspublished at 10:07 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    David Gregory-Kumar
    Science correspondent, BBC Midlands Today

    Water firm South Staffs Water , external has unveiled a new water treatment plant that uses ultraviolet light to turn water from their reservoir into drinking water.

    The new water treatment plantImage source, South Staffs Water

    It means the company can cut back on the amount of traditional chemical treatments like chlorine. 

    The firm says the new system will process 26 million litres of water a day for customers in Burton, Tamworth and Cannock.

  17. Call for more help for drug addicts after 'man injected with heroin in broad daylight' published at 09:40 British Summer Time 30 March 2017

    Russell Truran
    Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

    A business owner in the centre of Stoke-on-Trent is calling for more to be done to help drug addicts in the area.

    It's after, on Tuesday morning, a man was seen taking his trousers down, on Piccadilly, Hanley, while a woman injected him with what witnesses say they believe was heroin into his groin. 

    
          Location where alleged drug taking was witnessed in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent

    Onlookers and staff at Klay Pizzeria described the same scene to BBC Radio Stoke and say it's putting people off coming to the area. 

    Stoke-on-Trent City Council says it has support services available for people with drug problems and Staffordshire Police says it's working to reduce anti-social behaviour in Hanley.

    Quote Message

    The gentlemen seemed to get in the corner, in the middle of broad daylight, pull down his trousers and then the woman proceeded to obviously inject him with what I can think is heroin. I don't think it's really a good thing for anyone to see no matter what age."

    Grant Maddox , Witness who works at Klay pizzeria opposite location