BBC Local Live: Staffordshire & Cheshire on Wednesday 7 June 2017

Summary

Hospital trust 'has to save £50m by March'
'Nobody's been interested' in saving historic pottery firm
Marathon cancelled by 'lack of all round support'
Calf rescued after getting stuck in trees by canal
Updates from Wednesday 7 June 2017

Live Reporting

Allen Cook

Surprise for shoppers in Cannock as Hugh Grant turns up unexpectedlypublished at 17:05 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC WM
Actor Hugh Grant has been in Staffordshire today. You might have seen him pinned against the fence surrounded by fans.
The star of Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral was on the general election campaign trail with Labour's Paul Dadge in Cannock.
I caught a few words with him where he told me that "it's tempting to stand himself but feels no one party is right for him."
Obstruction on the line at Five Wayspublished at 16:44 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
An obstruction on the track at Five Ways, Birmingham is causing disruption to services between Birmingham New Street and Longbridge, the Network Rail website reports, external.
Trains may be delayed by up to 20 minutes or cancelled.
London Midland services between Lichfield Trent valley / Lichfield City / Four Oaks and Longbridge / Redditch and CrossCountry services between Nottingham and Cardiff Central are affected.
Disruption is expected until 17:15.
Thief's motorbike takes canal plungepublished at 16:35 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
The man whose bike makes the big splash has been jailed over smash-and-grab raids on fruit machines.
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France honours WW2 veterans' braverypublished at 16:32 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
Exploits of 16 Normandy veterans are remembered more than 70 years after D Day.
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Does ploughing actually damage soils?published at 16:15 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
A new experiment aims to discover the impact of traditional ploughing on soils and crops.
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PM drops into rugby clubpublished at 16:00 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
Emma Thomas
Political reporter, BBC Radio Stoke
During a visit to Stoke-on-Trent, Theresa May has been defending the police and security services' handling of the recent terror attacks.
It comes as the last of the three men who carried out the London Bridge attack on Saturday has been named by police.
Theresa May has been at Longton Rugby Cub this afternoon as part of a general election event.
She has faced great criticism from her political oponents in the wake of the Manchester and London terror attacks for presiding over police cuts.
Image source, Google
Quote Message
What the government needs to do from Friday onwards is to be looking at how this terror threat is evolving, the way terrorism is breeding terrorism, the increased tempo of attack. We've had three horrific attacks in the UK in the last three months, at the same time, police and security services have foiled five other attacks. The tempo is there in a way we've never seen before. We need to say how do we need to adapt to the threat as we see it changing."
Theresa May, Prime Minister
Bywater and Sordell commit to Burtonpublished at 15:17 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
Experienced goalkeeper Stephen Bywater and striker Marvin Sordell agree new contracts with Burton Albion.
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Hi-vis diggers unearth 50 new jobspublished at 15:13 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke
Digger-maker JCB says it's taking on more than 50 people in Staffordshire to work on a new range of dumper trucks.
It says the seven tonne high-visibilty models - which are designed to be safer to use on building sites - will go into production in Rocester at the end of the year.
Image source, JCB
Britain's Got Talent link to murder casepublished at 14:47 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
Graves are being dug up by police investigating the disappearance of 17-year-old Natalie Putt.
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Jeff on the march through Staffordshire and Cheshire for prostate cancer awarenesspublished at 13:59 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
Graham McGarry
Sports Editor, BBC Radio Stoke
Presenter Jeff Stelling is walking the equivalent of 15 marathons in 15 days, external to raise funds for Prostate Cancer UK.
Today, day 5, has seen him in Staffordshire and Cheshire walking between Stoke City's Bet 365 Stadium and Crewe's Gresty Road, calling at Vale Park in between.
Media caption,
Sports presenter Jeff Stelling on his marathon walk through Staffordshire and Cheshire
He was joined by some of the Stoke City 1972 League Cup winning squad.
'Difficult rescue' as calf ends up in canalpublished at 13:40 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
Tim Wedgwood
BBC Local Live
A calf stuck in trees by a canal in the Staffordshire Moorlands has been rescued by four fire crews with help from the public.
Image source, Staffordshire Fire & Rescue
It had fallen down a steep embankment near Cheddleton Flint Mill on the Caldon Canal. Members of the public who were moored nearby helped crews reach the other side of the canal using their narrowboat.
Image source, Staffordshire Fire & Rescue
Four crews attended, two from Leek and two from Newcastle, including the water rescue team.
It's been checked over by a vet, and is said to be very tired but unhurt.
Image source, Staffordshire Fire & Rescue
Quote Message
Accessing the calf was difficult but thanks to some kind people on a canal barge we were able to get crews across the other side of the canal quickly so they could set-up a winch to free its legs."
Neil Pedersen, Station Manager, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue
Police car that crashed was on way to support officerspublished at 13:13 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
A police car that crashed on the M6, injuring two officers seriously, was on its way to an incident, Staffordshire Police said.
The car left the road at 03:45 and hit a Citroen Berlingo.
Both officers are in hospital with serious, but not life-threatening, injuries.
Spokeswoman Faye Fawcett said: "A full investigation is under way and the carriageway has re-opened, however there are still delays.
"We would like to thank drivers for their patience and understanding following the severe delays.
"If you witnessed this collision or have any information please call Staffordshire Police on 101 quoting incident number 40 of June 6.
Tonight's Race for Life at Trentham postponed after wind and heavy rainpublished at 12:55 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
BBC Radio Stoke
The Race for Life event that was due to take place this evening at Trentham Gardens has been postponed due to the grim weather.
The 5k race was planned to start at 7:30pm, but has now been postponed until 20 June.
Predictions of heavy rain and gusts of up to 45mph led the organisers to conclude tonight's event should not go ahead.
Image source, Cancer Research UK
A career in pottery awaits at new 'Clay College'published at 12:13 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
John Acres
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke
Applications are being accepted for a new college to train potters in Stoke-on-Trent.
Middleport Pottery will be home to "The Clay College, external" which will teach over a dozen students a year how to work with clay.
It's expected Clay College will take its first students in September.
Image source, Getty Images
Quote Message
You really have to show that you want to be a potter. I think there's been quite a few applications, there's 14 places and this is going to be something to equip people to have a life in pottery, and we all love pots don't we?"
Kate Malone, Judge, The Great Pottery Throwdown
Trentham Monkey Forest in Staffordshire welcomes its first babies of the yearpublished at 11:48 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
Express and Star
The first baby monkeys of the year, external have been born at Trentham Monkey Forest.
Image source, Express and Star
Your pictures: Nice weather for duckspublished at 11:18 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
BBC Weather Watchers
It's probably fair to say these two pictures from our wonderful Weather Watchers tell the story of the morning in Staffordshire.
Thanks to Snap Dragon (Burton-upon-Trent) and Thornhill Watch (Hednesford) for these.
Image source, Snap Dragon
Image source, Thornhill Watch
One lane remains shut after crash involving police officerspublished at 10:41 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
Tim Wedgwood
BBC Local Live
One lane of the M6 southbound remains closed after a crash which injured two police officers.
It happened at 03:45am on the southbound carriageway between junctions 13 and 12.
Staffordshire Police says the collision involved a police vehicle and a Citroën van.
Image source, Highways England
The two officers from the Central Motorway Police Group are being treated at the Royal Stoke University Hospital for various injuries. Their conditions are described as serious but stable.
The man driving the van was treated at the scene. The motorway's been closed for much of the morning and there are long delays back to junction 14 and around Stafford as traffic is being diverted through the town.
Husband finally receives wife's death certificate after more than 100 dayspublished at 10:11 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
Tim Wedgwood
BBC Local Live
A Staffordshire pensioner says that collecting his wife's long-awaited death certificate will give his family closure.
Reginald Farr's wife Zena passed away in February but her death certificate was only made available to collect last week, over 100 days after her death.
Quote Message
It's a piece of paper but it's a closure of my wife's life. That's 86 years there, and they were good years."
Reginald Farr, Husband
A delay with paperwork meant that even though Zena had been cremated, her husband still hadn't received her death certificate and he wasn't able to put her affairs in order.
The North Staffordshire Coroner's Office told BBC Radio Stoke it kept Reginald updated throughout this difficult process.
Plans for 130-space car park at Emma Bridgewater - to keep out drug addicts and dealerspublished at 09:31 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
The Sentinel
Pottery giant Emma Bridgewater has revealed plans for a 130-space secure car park for staff and visitors at its city centre factory - to try to stop them being 'intimidated' by drug addicts and dealers., external
Air pollution data errors investigatedpublished at 09:07 British Summer Time 6 June 2017
Phil McCann
Cheshire Political Reporter, BBC News
An external investigation has been ordered after it emerged that Cheshire East Council has been producing inaccurate information on local air pollution "for a number of years", according to an official report.
The council's auditors have been asked to find out why there were "multiple anomalies" between the air quality data the council holds on its files and the data it gave to the government.
The auditors found "a significant number of errors" in the data given to government, caused by inadequate policies and communication.
An official report says the data has been corrected but an external investigation is ongoing