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

Football: Port Vale confident of Barnett recovery in next fortnightpublished at 16:13 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Lee Blakeman
Port Vale commentator, BBC Radio Stoke
Port Vale's manager Michael Brown says he's hoping to have striker Tyrone Barnett available for selection in the next fortnight.
Image source, Port Vale FC
Barnett, who signed for the club in the summer,, external hasn't played a competitive game so far after picking up an injury in pre-season.
Quote Message
He's not far away. He's looking a lot leaner, a lot fitter. We've set him a fitness programme and we'll hopefully get him raring to go. He'll be out on the grass with us. He's started doing some ball work now and some runs so he shouldn't be too far away."
Michael Brown, Port Vale manager
Beauty spot path repairs force closurespublished at 16:00 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
Part of the path around a Staffordshire beauty spot has been shut this week so sections of it can be replaced over the next couple of days., external
Image source, Google
Lichfield District Council says the footpath around Stowe Pool's become worn in places and needs repairs.
It says various parts are being shut so they can be worked on but they'll put up signs each day showing which sections are closed.
Five-week closure for public park improvementpublished at 15:36 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
A popular park in Newcastle-under-Lyme town centre's going to close for five weeks from Friday. , external
The borough council says it's so it can spent £189,000 on work in Queens Gardens including new, better seating, upgraded paths and revamping the bandstand.
The work's set to finish before the new nearby development Castle House opens., external
Man's death still 'unclear' as name revealedpublished at 15:08 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
The name of a man whose body was found in Cannock , externalat the weekend has been revealed by police as Ryan Shenton from Green Lane, Wallsall.
The 25-year-old was discovered on Saturday morning in a secure yard off Market Place.
Image source, Google
Police say they think he may have fallen from the top of a building at the back of Quartz Bar.
It's not clear exactly what happened and officers want witnesses to come forward while they comb through CCTV footage.
Delays after two crashes on M6 northboundpublished at 14:45 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
BBC News Travel
Lanes have been shut in two parts of the M6 northbound in Staffordshire and Cheshire in two separate crashes.
Image source, Highways England
Between junctions 12 and 13 near Cannock, lane one is shut in the roadworks area after a crash and then recovery work with Highways England reporting delays., external
There's also very slow traffic between junctions 18 and 19 (pictured) after a different collision and delays are back to junction 17., external
Taking in great views in Staffordshirepublished at 14:24 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
Today's pick of five photos which have been sent in by you, our audience, just show how many great views there are in Staffordshire.
To share your pictures of the area, pop them in on an email or, if you use Instagram, put them there with the tag #bbcstoke , externalto show you agree to share them.
Media caption,
Audience photos
'No-one knows how much will be saved through leisure centre plan'published at 13:57 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Burton Mail
Leisure centre bosses have dispelled the idea that £600,000 will be saved if private providers are appointed to run East Staffordshire's facilities, external.
Football: Bakayogo set to start for Crewe in Port Vale derbypublished at 13:35 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Graham McGarry
Crewe Alexandra commentator, BBC Radio Stoke
Zoumana Bakayogo could be set to make his first start of the season for Crewe Alexandra this weekend.
Image source, crewealex.net
Bakayogo has fully recovered from a knee injury that kept him out of the side for the opening three fixtures.
The Alex manager David Artell says his 30-minute contribution as a substitute last weekend has put him in contention to play against Port Vale.
Hoax fire calls traced to one phone boxpublished at 13:15 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Jennie Aitken
Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke
Eleven hoax calls have been made to Staffordshire Fire Service from the same phone box in Stafford since last December. , external
In the latest case, firefighters were called out to a report of a garage fire in Highfields on Sunday night only to find there was no blaze.
Image source, Google
The service says all the calls have come from a phone box on Swinburne Close and they think youngsters have made them.
In some of the cases it says operators challenged the caller but in four of them fire crews were sent to hoax blazes.
Cheshire chief constable suspended in misconduct probepublished at 12:39 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
Cheshire's Chief Constable Simon Byrne has been suspended by the county's police and crime commissioner over an allegation about his conduct., external
PCC David Keane says a local investigation's been carried out since late 2016 and he's now reviewed the report.
He says he believed there's a case for Mr Byrne to answer for gross misconduct "with regards to authority, respect and courtesy and discreditable conduct".
In December, the BBC understood that the complaint originated from an officer with the Cheshire force.
Mr Keane says there'll now be an independently chaired gross misconduct hearing and the deputy chief constable Janette McCormick will take on the role of acting chief constable.
On Midlands Today from 13:30: Rise in biker deathspublished at 12:25 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Laura Mcmullan
Reporter, BBC Midlands Today
On Midlands Today this lunchtime, we'll be looking at the shocking news that motorcycle deaths have been increasing in the region.
We'll have more, including how the summer months see fatalities more than double compared with the winter, on BBC One from 13:30.
Burton sign Mason on loan from Wolvespublished at 12:03 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Burton Albion sign striker Joe Mason on loan from Wolves after a long-term injury to summer signing Liam Boyce.
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Bin collection reassurance over new £35m contractpublished at 12:02 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Allen Cook
BBC Local Live
People in the Stafford area are being told their bin collections won't change despite a £35m contract looking set to change hands., external
That's because the borough council has named waste firm Veolia as the preferred bidder for the deal to collect rubbish from the 57,000 households in the area.
The contract will run for 10 years from February after the current agreement with Biffa runs out.
However, despite the change of company, the council's been swift to say the service will "continue in the same way" with general waste and recycling picked up on alternate weeks.
Fire authority blasts move to replace board with Police and Crime Commissionerpublished at 11:39 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Express and Star
Fire bosses have issued scathing criticism on proposals to merge with a police force – a move that would effectively dissolve their posts, potentially saving taxpayers a fortune., external
Home care visits too short, review findspublished at 11:13 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
James Bovill
Staffordshire Political Reporter, BBC News
Stoke-on-Trent City Council says it wants to hear from anyone who thinks they've paid too much for care in their own home, after a review found significant issues with their system., external
A report to the authority's cabinet says it found hundreds of care visits to five people were much shorter than what was being paid for.
In one case, the review said more than 600 visits across a year lasted less than the 30 minutes they were meant to last, with six being less than 10 minutes in length.
The council says a new electronic system will make things more accurate.
Football: Shaqiri missing for Stoke's EFL Cup gamepublished at 10:49 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
BBC Sport
Stoke City will be without forward Xherdan Shaqiri for the visit of League One side Rochdale in the EFL Cup tonight.
Image source, Getty Images
The Switzerland international came off in the 1-0 win over Arsenal on Saturday with a slight strain, while Lee Grant is to replace the rested Jack Butland.
Rochdale beat Mansfield 1-0 in the first round, but are without a win in three league games so far this season.
Rise in Staffordshire child neglect reports to police by NSPCCpublished at 10:28 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
Sarah Robertson
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke
The number of child neglect cases referred to police forces and social services in Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire's risen over the past five years, a children's charity says.
Image source, Getty Images
The NSPCC says 352 families were referred in the past 12 months after calls to its helpline, compared with 159 five years ago.
In both Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, it says it's the highest number it has ever had to handle.
Football: Burton inflict first defeat of season on Cardiffpublished at 10:04 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
BBC Sport
Burton inflicted the first defeat of the season on Championship leaders Cardiff City in an EFL Cup second-round tie between two much-changed teams.
Image source, Rex Features
Tom Naylor put the Brewers in front in the first half after the hosts failed to clear a corner.
Burton doubled their lead with Ben Fox's glancing header after 70 minutes.
Lee Tomlin's cross from a free-kick crept in at the back post to halve Cardiff's deficit, but their late push for an equaliser was in vain.
Planned expansion set to create 53 jobspublished at 09:44 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
The Sentinel
More than 50 new jobs are set to be created by the planned expansion of a foundry site., external
Image source, The Sentinel
Rugby union: Lichfield's Scarratt helps kick England to World Cup finalpublished at 09:26 British Summer Time 23 August 2017
BBC Sport
Lichfield's Emily Scarratt kicked two penalties and two conversions as world champions England made it through to the final of the World Cup by beating France.
Image source, David Rogers/Getty Images
A tight first half saw the sides reach the interval at 3-3 after Shannon Izar cancelled out Scarratt's penalty.
England upped their game in the second period and Scarratt edged them back in front with her second penalty.
Prop Sarah Bern drove over for a converted score to move England clear before Megan Jones's last-gasp try.
They will now play New Zealand on Saturday at the Kingspan Stadium in Belfast, kick-off 19:45, in a bid to retain the title they won against Canada in 2014.