HS2 will not be a "rich man's business-class railway", according to the boss of the firm developing the project.

Mark Thurston, chief executive of HS2 Ltd, said the ticketing structure would ensure trains can be used by "all working people".

The level of HS2 fares and whether trains will have first-class compartments has not been decided.

Opponents of the railway have claimed tickets will be significantly more expensive than for conventional trains to help pay for the railway.

The government-commissioned Oakervee Review warned in 2018 HS2's final bill could reach £106bn at 2019 prices.

During a virtual appearance at the National Rail Recovery Conference, Mr Thurston insisted it "needs to be an affordable railway" so it becomes "an integral part of the rail network".

Aerial footage has shown the London to Birmingham leg of the HS2 high-speed rail network and the state of its construction.

A boundary review suggests merging the rowdy local authority with neighbouring Wilmslow.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Some of the Stoke-on-Trent Live headline today include:

• Pregnant mum with toddler grabbed by two men in 'attempted mugging' near Tunstall Matalan, external

• Landlord drills through wall to discover cannabis factory in house next door, external
• North Staffordshire sees lowest weekly death toll this year as 39 Covid patients die, external

BBC Weather

Today we are forecast cloudy skies and some light showers, with temperatures up to 15C (59F).

There will also be a light breeze.

Image source, Videoman

Moses Christensen armed himself with combat knives before attacking Richard Hall, a court hears.

A worker at a mill where four died in a blast tells a trial he thought part of the site was unsafe.

Three men and a woman, arrested on suspicion of murder, have been released, police say.

BBC Weather

It is set to be a cloudy day with some bright spells and highs of 13°C (55°F).

A group responsible for the running of Middlewich cemetery is acting illegally, a council says.

BBC Weather

Early rain should clear later leaving a brighter afternoon with some sunny spells and highs of 10°C (50°F).

Four people are held over the death of a man in his 30s at a house in Stoke-on-Trent, police say.

Leon Cullen was arrested in Dubai in January and has now appeared before Liverpool magistrates.

Cheshire East Council had a backlog of applications to keep people in care, a watchdog says.

The latest news and updates from across the West Midlands and south Cheshire.

A head teacher is calling for "a clear time line" and information about plans for children to be tested at schools.

"Next week it would be really nice to have a clear timeline and some information about... the testing programme and whether we're expected to test all children all at once and that's quite a big logistical issue," Nicola Mason, head teacher at Chase Terrace Academy in Staffordshire, said.

"It takes away our largest space, our sports hall, so some of our curriculum wouldn't be able to go ahead as normal if we were testing more children."

Image source, Nicola Mason

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is to set out plans for the return on Monday, with the Department for Education saying pupils won't return to classrooms before 8 March "at the earliest".

"The other part really is the exams and how we are generating grades for the children in year 11 and 13 and of course years 10 and 12 who are also on exam courses," Ms Mason told BBC Breakfast.

"They are the two really big things for me that are on my mind and causing quite a bit of stress for the coming weeks."

An employee at a Tamworth business has tested positive for the South African coronavirus variant.

Image source, Getty Images

Staffordshire County Council said it has identified everyone known to be in contact with the worker - about 50 people in Tamworth and Lichfield - and they are to be offered testing.

The positive case lives in a part of Walsall or Birmingham where mass testing is already underway following the discovery of the variant in those areas.

The council said there is "no need for anyone else to take further action" and there is not evidence the variant will have spread in the wider community.

All of the people being offered home testing today are staff or clients of the Tamworth business.

We're on the brink of some milder weather but it's still looking fairly unsettled.

This afternoon we'll see a lot of cloud across the region so it will be fairly dull but the rain should be staying to the west of us.

Temperatures will be rising to up to 11C but with gusts of wind reaching up to 45mph it won't feel as mild as that.

A £10m loss caused by Covid-19 stops Chester Zoo supporting endangered species in Africa and Asia.

Two people have been taken to hospital followig a crash involving a car and a van in Uttoxeter last night.

Paramedics were called to Ashbourne Road just before 19:00 GMT and found four patients, two of whom were seriously injured.

Image source, Google

"The van driver, a man, was trapped as a result of the collision and ambulance staff worked closely alongside colleagues from the fire service to cut him free," a spokesperson from West Midlands Ambulance Service said.

He was taken to Royal Stoke Hospital for further treatment after paramedics said his injuries were potentially serious.

The driver of the car had managed to get himself free, the ambulance service said.

His injuries were not thought to be serious but he was also taken to the same hospital.

Two boys, passengers in the car, were assessed and discharged at the scene.

It's a wet and windy start this morning but that should be out of the way by this afternoon, with temperatures reaching a maximum of 9C.

Into the evening things will be dry for a time, although it'll be a chilly night, and there's more rain waiting in the wings for tomorrow.