A man is charged over fires at a hospital and university.

Updates have finished for Friday but we'll be back from 08:00 on Monday with more news, sport, travel and weather.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

One record which voters in Stoke-on-Trent Central may be now pleased to have lost is that they did not have the lowest turnout this time around out of any constituency in the UK.

In 2015, the seat was bottom when it came to voters going to their polling booths as just 51% bothered.

This year, the turnout was 57.0% and it was also up across the country at 68.7, a rise of two percentage points from 2015.

Reportedly, Wolverhampton South East had the lowest turnout this time , externalwith 51.9%.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

One of Staffordshire's top police officers has admitted the last few weeks have been , externala "very testing time" for the force, following terrorist attacks in Westminster, Manchester and London Bridge.

Staffordshire Police has increased patrols and had more armed police in visible locations as the current threat level for international terrorism is severe, which means an attack is highly likely.

The force says there's no specific intelligence of a threat in the county but will have officers in town centres, crowded places and other "areas of significance".

Assistant Chief Constable Nick Adderley says the past few weeks have been very testing for police and worrying for communities but they want to reassure people.

The Conservative MP for Lichfield Michael Fabricant has praised Labour's election campaign.

Image source, PA

Mr Fabricant, who increased his own majority, put down his party's inability to secure a Commons majority to Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn's appeal with younger voters.

He said: "I think Jeremy Corbyn fought a brilliant campaign. He decided to focus on younger voters who hadn't voted before, but many had voted in the referendum.

"Many people who had voted Remain thought that with the Conservative campaign, which was relentlessly focussed on Brexit, they could make a protest vote by voting for Jeremy Corbyn."

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

As the dust settles after the election results, local announcements have left two constituencies now likely to be key marginal battleground seats at the next election - whenever that is.

The picture was mixed for majorities across Staffordshire, where established MPs including Bill Cash and Michael Fabricant saw theirs increase.

But there are now two in our area which are held by a tantalising small amount of a few dozen votes.

They are Crewe and Nantwich, where Labour's Laura Smith took the seat from the Conservatives with 48 votes and, even closer, Newcastle-under-Lyme, where Paul Farrelly held on for Labour by 30 votes.

Marginal seats are the ones that political analysts look to when they are seeing who'll win elections, as they are the ones most likely to change hands.

Sarah Jeffery was found at a property in Church Avenue, Baddeley Green, on Thursday.

What now for the Midlands' political landscape after a night of high drama?

Rebecca Wood
BBC Midlands Today

It will be a dry evening but occasional rain will move in from the southwest overnight, spreading across the region during the early hours. Lows of 13C (55F).

Police have named a woman found dead in a house in Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday morning.

Sarah Jeffery, 48, was discovered after police were called to Church Avenue, Baddeley Green, at about 10:30.

Image source, Google

A 51-year-old man from the area who was arrested on suspicion of murder remains in custody.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

The local elections are still the main talking point for our local newspapers.

The Tamworth Herald says "cheers bounded and echoed" through a sports hall as Christopher Pincher held his Tamworth seat. , external

Image source, Tamworth Herald

While the Leek Post and Times reported that Karen Bradley was "honoured" to increase her majority in the Staffordshire Moorlands. , external

And the Burton Mail says Conservative Andrew Griffiths thanked the council for making the election, external "run like clockwork" after he held onto his seat.

In the run-up to the general election, the BBC shared the thoughts of voters in an election panel that offered a range of political views drawn from across the nation.

Today voters were asked for their views on the result and how they felt about the future. Here's the view from the West Midlands....

Image source, Getty Images

Anne, Coventry: "Fearful. There has been so much damage done to personalities who need to work together to create a working government. I believe that our EU relationships are damaged beyond repair. And all this caused by the arrogance of one person who thought it was a foregone conclusion."

B John, Walsall: "As I expected and looking forward to a better future with a Labour government."

Dave, Stoke-on-Trent: It's a tough call this particular election. Each party has to step up and present a good manifesto and to understand what the people of great Britain want."

Paul, Shrewsbury: "Extremely disappointed that the country is stil half full of idiots who vote Conservative."

Tarz, Birmingham: "Mayhem let us down, she should resign and Amber Rudd should be in charge. Mayhem is all talk and no substance. We are left with no one in charge, so they will have to horse trade with DUP and form a government."

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

Jack Brereton has made history in Stoke-on-Trent by gaining a seat for the Conservative Party in Stoke-on-Trent for the first time in more than 80 years.

The 26-year-old city councillor won Stoke South from the incumbent, Labour's Rob Flello.

Image source, Jack Brereton

It has been a meteoric rise for the new MP, having been first elected in 2011 as a Stoke-on-Trent City Councillor at the age of 19 - he went on to become a cabinet member from 2015.

Six years ago, he was touted as being among the youngest councillors in the country, external and, in the House of Commons, he'll be among the youngest MPs, if not the youngest in England.

Mr Brereton says on his website he was born and bred in the city, is married to Laura, external and is a school governor.

BBC Radio Stoke

A fourth person's been arrested and charged with child sexual exploitation offences, external following other arrests in Burton this week.

Staffordshire Police says the 18-year-old man, who's from the town, has appeared before magistrates and been remanded into custody.

Yesterday the force revealed three other men had been charged with child sexual exploitation offences and also appeared in front, external of magistrates.

Earlier this week, officers said the arrests were a result of two victims coming forward earlier this year., external

Matt Jackson
Producer, BBC Radio Stoke

The Conservatives lost a lot of support in the election due to their proposed revamp of the way people pay for social care, Stafford's Tory MP says.

Image source, iStock

In the campaign, Theresa May was forced to deny claims of a U-turn after she revealed a cap to payments, days after original proposals were published in the party's manifesto.

Last night's election results saw the Tories end up eight seats short of the 326 needed to command a majority, after being well ahead in polls at the start of campaigning.

Lee Thomas
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

Image source, Google

Three masked men broke into a man's house in Stafford last night and battered him with a blunt instrument. , external

Staffordshire Police says the victim was left with injuries to his face after the break-in on Radford Bank.

BBC News looks at the winners and losers of a dramatic night.

Chris King
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

This'll give you an idea just how close the vote was overnight in Newcastle-under-Lyme and why it went to several recounts before a victor was declared.

The Conservative candidate Owen Meredith mounted a strong challenge but couldn't quite overturn Paul Farrelly's majority from 2015, losing by 30 votes to the Labour man.

The other thing to note, similar to national trends, is how the seat turned into a two-party contest - the Liberal Democrats were the only other party standing this time and were squeezed to 1,624 votes:

Nick Hope
BBC Sport Olympic sports reporter

Staffordshire's champion swimmer Adam Peaty says the introduction of mixed events for Tokyo 2020 would make the Olympics "more fun".

Image source, Getty Images

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) will decide the medal events for each sport in 2020 today - a month ahead of schedule.

The IOC believes mixed events and mixed relays will help promote gender equality.

The 22-year-old, from Uttoxeter, says he's "100% in favour".

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

In 1935, World War Two had yet to start, the abdication crisis involving King Edward VIII hadn't happened and Stanley Baldwin was prime minister.

That gives you an idea of Jack Brereton's achievement in winning the Stoke-on-Trent South seat for the Conservatives, the first Tory MP for the city in 82 years.

In 2015, the then Labour MP Rob Flello had a majority of over 2,500 and the 26-year-old Tory contender turned that into a 663 majority of his own.

Some of that may well have come from the UKIP vote two years ago - then, they took 8,298 votes; this time, they didn't field a candidate in the seat.

The Liberal Democrats and Green Party also suffered from the two-party dominance, as both went from over 1,000 votes in 2015 to hundreds this time.

Stoke-on-Trent South's been held by Labour from 1950 when it was created and, before that, they held the preceding Stoke seat from 1935 until it was abolished in 1950., external