BBC Local Live: Staffordshire & Cheshire on Friday 25 August 2017

Summary

Cannabis, cocaine and thousands of pounds in cash seized in raid
Former head 'admitted changing pupil's exam answers'
Severe delays as pop fizzes on to motorway
Updates on Friday 25 August 2017

Live Reporting

Allen Cook

Music journalist has respect for 'very successful' V Festivalpublished at 13:24 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
The music journalist and punk musician John Robb has praised the organisers of the V Festival, for putting on a "very successful" event.
He said it was "very much a mainstream pop festival" and said he had to laugh at the "soap stars you've never heard of" who are given backstage passes.
But he went on to say "it's not easy putting a really good festival on and it's a pretty spectacular affair" and that the V Festival team "make it work".
Quote Message
It's a very successful festival, it's a very good model of the new kind of festival, the pop festival. It's very different from the kind of old school kind of festivals."
John Robb, Music journalist and musician
On Midlands Today from 13:30: Weekend football's best bitspublished at 13:09 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
Nick Clitheroe
BBC Midlands Today
On Midlands Today this lunchtime, we'll be rounding up the best of the weekend's football action.
Image source, Getty Images
Tune in Stoke City, Burton Albion and Port Vale fans on BBC One from 13:30.
Volunteers 'key' to tunnel makeoverpublished at 12:36 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
Chris King
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke
A scheme to give an 18th Century structure a spruce up couldn't have happened without a group of volunteers.
Media caption,
The Harecastle Tunnel
The Canal and River Trust says volunteers from the National Citizen Service are helping to work on the Harecastle Tunnel, Kidsgrove.
They're spending three days improving the site's south entrance, which the trust says will mean better access to the local landmark.
Wheelie bin 'arson' sets flat curtains on firepublished at 12:16 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
A wheelie bin fire which set alight curtains in a flat is being treated as arson., external
Image source, Google
Fire crews in Crewe were called to West Avenue in the early hours of this morning.
Cheshire Fire Service says the curtain fire was already out when they arrived but they put the bin blaze out.
Football: Burton celebrate 'big moment' of first winpublished at 11:52 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
BBC Sport
Burton Albion's manager says they've had a "big moment in the season" after winning their first game of the Championship following three defeats.
Image source, Rex Features
Lloyd Dyer (pictured) and Marvin Sordell both scored superb goals as the Brewers came back to beat Birmingham City 2-1.
Nigel Clough's side had been rooted to the bottom of the early Championship table following defeats by Cardiff, Hull and Middlesbrough, but victory saw them move up to 19th after the weekend's results.
Quote Message
It's a big moment in the season for us having lost the first three to get us off the mark. A point wouldn't have been a bad result actually for us tonight, but to get all three points and to do it by coming from behind with the way we played at the start of the second half will do us the power of good."
Nigel Clough, Burton Albion manager
Drugs arrests up 'due to tighter V Festival security'published at 11:29 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
Jodie Looker
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke
Staffordshire Police says they've found a lot more drugs at this year's V Festival, external because they stepped up their security.
Image source, Staffordshire Police
With the UK terrorism threat level currently at severe,, external the force said they searched every festival-goer visiting the Weston Park event.
They say that led to them finding more drugs and a total of 41 arrests, nearly double the figure from last year.
Quote Message
All individuals have been searched including their bags coming into the V Festival. We've had drug detection dogs on all the search entrances which has resulted in a lot more fines in relation to those drugs."
Ch Insp Pete Owen, Staffordshire Police
Winning toe wrestling event ' just a walk in the park'published at 11:06 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
BBC News England
Image source, Bentley Brook Inn
A Stoke-on-Trent man who won the men's contest at the World Toe Wrestling Championships says it was "just a walk in the park".
The competition, which is like arm wrestling but with feet, was held at Bentley Brook Inn, Fenny Bentley, Derbyshire.
Alan "Nasty" Nash from the Potteries won the men's competition for the 14th time.
He said: "That was just a walk in the park again - normal day at the office."
Police hunt driver after M42 crash deathpublished at 10:48 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
BBC Midlands Today
A 74-year-old woman remains critically ill in hospital after a reported hit-and-run crash on the M42 motorway on Saturday night near Tamworth.
Image source, Google
Warwickshire Police says an 83-year-old man from Coventry died following the crash between junctions 10 and 11.
They say they are continuing to hunt for the driver of a Peugeot 307 which was involved in the collision, saying he's reported to have left the scene on foot. , external
Clean-up under way at V Festival campsitepublished at 10:25 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
Andy Giddings
BBC Local Live
A team of volunteers has arrived at Weston Park to begin the clean-up after the V Festival.
They're collecting abandoned tents and sleeping bags, which are then given to aid charities for use overseas.
Last year, the Ironbridge and Severn Gorge Lions collected over useable 4,000 tents and the ones they couldn't use were sent to landfill.
Football: Police poke fun to Arsenal fan after Stoke losspublished at 10:12 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
It comes to something when you not only lose a football match but also get ribbed by the local police force.
That's what happened over the weekend when Arsenal turned up at the Bet365 Stadium and lost 1-0 to Stoke City.
After the game, a self-proclaimed Gunners fan tweeted to the Stoke Police account @policingstoke wanting, external "to report a robbery".
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He got a response from them saying they were, external "busy looking for a missing person, Ozil. Have you seen him?" after Arsenal's Mesut Ozil didn't have a game to remember.
The commander of Stoke-on-Trent North police, Chief Insp John Owen, later defended the tweet saying it had, external "shown humour, humility and personality. Everything we'd want".
Staffordshire's NHS among the worst performing in the country, report sayspublished at 09:49 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
The Sentinel
Staffordshire has one of the worst performing health systems in the country, according to a new progress report., external
Image source, The Sentinel
Football: Stoke City duo make Garth Crooks' team of the weekpublished at 09:27 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
BBC Sport
Two Stoke City players have made Garth Crooks's team of the week on the BBC Sport website after the weekend's action.
Jack Butland makes the cut in goal with Garth saying he is "currently England's number one choice".
Image source, Reuters
The other man is at the other end of the pitch - new loan signing Jese Rodriguez.
Garth says he reckons "Stoke fans will bring the best out of him" - read more from him here on the BBC Sport website.
18th Century tunnel project startingpublished at 09:07 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
Sarah Robertson
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
A project to restore a historical structure in Staffordshire is getting under way today.
Image source, Google
Over the next three days, work will take place to improve the area around the Harecastle Tunnel in Kidsgrove.
The National Citizen Service, external and the Canal and River Trust, external are aiming to restore the car park, steps and walls to what they would have looked like 250 years ago.
Drugs arrests at V Festivalpublished at 08:46 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
Drugs including ketamine and nitrous oxide have been seized at this year's V Festival at Weston Park.
Speaking on Sunday morning, Staffordshire Police said the majority of the 32 arrests made at the time were drug-related., external The total has now gone up to 41.
Image source, Staffordshire Police
They included three men who were stopped from taking 355 canisters of "laughing gas" into the site.
As a precaution, the force also deployed armed officers for the first time in the festival's 19-year history following this year's terrorist attacks.
Watch: Today's West Midlands' weatherpublished at 08:20 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
Charlie Slater
BBC Weather presenter
A grey start and there may be rain on the way for your part of the West Midlands - here's today's forecast.
You can also find the latest forecasts for your area on the BBC Weather website.
Media caption,
Charlie Slater
Welcome to Monday's live coveragepublished at 08:00 British Summer Time 21 August 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
Grey skies is how the morning started over the BBC Stoke headquarters in Hanley, Stoke-on-Trent:
We'll have a full look at the day's weather forecast shortly and there'll be the latest updates on the day's news, sport, travel and more.
I'll also showcase more of your photos of Staffordshire and Cheshire - send yours in on email or put them on Instagram, adding #bbcstoke, external to the description to show you agree to share them.