Stoke-on-Trent

It will be a dry and chilly night with some patchy fog and lows of 0C (32F).

BBC Weather Watchers/Anna L

You can find a detailed forecast for your area on the BBC Weather site.

Here are three stories from the Stoke Sentinel's website today:

• Pregnant mum abused after asking smoker to move from maternity unit
• Medical centre issues coronavirus advice to patients
• Police chase comes to dramatic end

Many of you have been getting in touch via the BBC Midlands Facebook site to comment on our story about smear test results being delayed for up to 10 weeks.

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Jodi Burgess posted: "I waited 12 weeks to be told not enough cells collected to then wait a further 10 weeks."With abnormal smears previously this was a long six months wait to hear all ok. Crazy how long the wait is."

Karen Groves wrote: "I’m into week 11 of waiting now and keep being told 'no news is good news'. They’re quick enough to bombard women with letters and further reminders to go in the first place though! Absolute disgrace."

Hannah Parkes commented: "I was told the normal 2 to 3 weeks when had my appt back on the 20th November - rang at new year to be told results are up to 3 months - mine took 2 months in the end and thankfully everything is ok. 3 months wait is a long time if there is something abnormal!!"

Storm Ciara is set to bring strong and possibly damaging winds across the West Midlands.

Met Office

The Met Office has issued a yellow weather warning for the region from 18:00 on Saturday to midnight on Sunday.

Its forecast says gusts of between 80 and 100km/h (50-60mph) are likely across inland areas.

Any early mist and fog should clear leaving a dry and bright day with highs of 5C (41F).

It's forecast to be a cold, clear night for most of us and in some places the temperature will drop below freezing.

Temperatures tomorrow will remain cold, and further ahead there's some stormy weather expected at the weekend.

Postman Les

Here are three of the stories you can find on the Stoke Sentinel's website today:

• School issues warning to girl with 'extremely short' skirt
• Driver demands £170 council compensation for damaged car
• Pottery owner hit with £44k court bill

The Port Vale manager John Askey believes his players are getting used to the pressure of chasing a League Two playoff spot.

They're three points off the top seven at the moment and play two of the teams above them, Northampton and Forest Green Rovers in the coming weeks.

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Askey said: "It seems as though every game that we go into is an important one."

And he added: "It's nice to be competing at the top end of the table and we're still in with a great chance of reaching the playoffs."

It's a foggy and misty start to Wednesday across the West Midlands but that should lift over the morning for a bright afternoon.

It's going to start to change though, and a yellow weather warning is already in place for high winds that are due to develop ahead of the weekend.

Police have identified a man found dead at his Stoke-on-Trent home as 56-year-old Mark Timmis, from Maud Street, in Fenton.

His body was discovered on Sunday and a 48-year-old man from the city was arrested on suspicion of his murder.

He has been released while investigations continue.

It will be a clear and dry night with some cloud likely in the early hours with lows of 1C (34F).

BBC Weather Watchers/Jon

You can find a detailed weather forecast for your area on the BBC Weather site.

Here are some of the headlines from Stoke-on-Trent Live:

• A pub company locked out of Stoke-on-Trent bar taken to court by council over unpaid business rates

• Angry motorist Stephen Morris says he has been fleeced out of £1.20 after using an app to park at a hospital
• Pie-maker Wrights is set to open a huge new branch in a North Staffordshire town after its former store closed

It will be a mostly clear and sunny day with highs of 10C (50F).

It will be a cloudy and misty night with the chance of showers and lows of 8C (46F).

Patchy rain should move away, leaving a brighter day tomorrow.

BBC Weather Watchers/Terry Eyre

You can find a detailed weather forecast for your area on the BBC Weather site.

From the Stoke Sentinel:

• Taxi driver's anguish three months after being knifed
• Barber slams council roadworks
• Pensioner dies months after terrifying mugging

One of the new MPs for Stoke-on-Trent has asked the government for money to buy state-of-the-art bus shelters.

Jo Gideon told the House of Commons she wanted them because "a lack of bus shelters too often puts people off using buses".

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Ms Gideon, who was formerly a councillor in Kent, said she wanted to: "Level up some parts of Stoke-on-Trent with parts of London."

And she said she was hoping to get "state-of-the-art, solar-powered and vandal-proof bus shelters" that provided "up-to-the-minute travel information".

The BBC Weather Watchers have been busy documenting beautiful skies over the West Midlands this morning.

These were taken in Bodenham, Herefordshire, by Step Counter; in Shrewsbury by Jono; and in Stoke-on-Trent by Jeff.

Step Counter

Jono

Jeff

A driver has been caught traveling at 89mph in a 50mph stretch of the A50 in Stoke-on-Trent.

Staffordshire Police

He was one of 43 drivers caught speeding as officers carried out checks yesterday.

The driver is to be summoned before magistrates, said Staffordshire Police.

It will be a cloudy day with some rain this afternoon and highs of 13C (55F).

Port Vale fans will be urged to look after their hearts this Valentine's Day weekend.

Nurses from Royal Stoke Hospital will be at their ground on 15 February, handing out leaflets explaining the symptoms of heart disease.

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It's come about because of the death of Vale fan Tony Evans, who went into cardiac arrest a few minutes before half time in a match in 2018.

Here are three of the stories from the Stoke Sentinel's website today:

• School goes into lockdown after suspicious man spotted
• Emergency services at crash on A34
• Pensioner pushed into post by robber

It will be a cloudy day with some patchy drizzle and highs of 12C (54F).

Here are some of the headlines from Stoke-on-Trent Live today:

• 'Let's give her the send off she deserves' - Fundraising funeral appeal after shock death of girl, 2
• Parents of girl, 5, with childhood dementia reveal she has forgotten how to say mummy
• Taxi driver branded a 'danger to the public' after being caught with knife in his cab

Local councils in Staffordshire and Cheshire will receive more than £1.5m between them to tackle rough sleeping.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has been given a government grant of £950,000.

It says the money will go on a range of schemes including an outreach service to help people on the streets.

PA Media

Trevor Nicklin, who has been working with rough sleepers in Hanley for 17 years, said the problem was getting worse.

"At times you feel helpless because of the need of many, many people who are just completely broken and don't seem to know where to turn for help and support.

"We have people coming in who have lost their accommodation for various reasons, so, it is quite an issue and I don't think it is going to go away overnight."

It will be a windy day, with a few early morning showers, and some sun in the middle part of the day.

Tonight will be cold and largely dry with long clear spells and lows of 0C (32F).

BBC Weather Watchers / AJthewalker

Wednesday will be dry and fine with long sunny spells and patchy cloud.

You can find a detailed weather forecast for your area on the BBC Weather site.

Here are some of the stories our Local Democracy Reporting Service has been covering in and around Stoke-on-Trent:

• Fly-tippers have been condemned by Stoke-on-Trent City Council for dumping a mountain of waste in an alleyway in Smallthorne
• Families on a road in Smallthorne say they want crash barriers on their street because out-of-control vehicles keep crashing into their houses
• A footpath which goes through a garden is going to be closed after planning permission was given for an extension and a boundary wall at a home in Stoke-on-Trent

More than 1,200 motorists have been fined for parking or stopping on red routes in Hanley since the double lines were introduced in October 2017.

The drivers were given a £70 fine, but only 932 of the fines have been paid.

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Stoke-on-Trent City Council said the red routes, which affect five roads, were about keeping the city moving and improving safety, and were not to raise revenue through fines.

Red routes are due to be introduced on another 10 roads across Burslem, Tunstall, Fenton, Longton and Stoke.

Wintery showers and ice could lead to travel disruption in parts of the West Midlands, the Met Office is warning.

Met Office

A yellow warning is in place until 10:00 for Herefordshire, Shropshire, and Staffordshire.

It will be a chilly and breezy day with some bright spells and mainly dry with highs of 7C (45F).

A signal fault has blocked rail lines between Crewe and Stoke-on-Trent.

Delays are expected until 10:00, said Network Rail.

A man's been officially credited by Guinness World Records with the fastest journey across the length of Britain by powered paraglider.

James Du Pavey

In July, estate agent James Du Pavey, from Market Drayton in Shropshire, set off from Land's End and completed the charity bid in John O'Groats just over a day and a half later.

He said he raised £10,000 for the Donna Louise Children's Hospice in Stoke-on-Trent.

However, Mr Du Pavey did admit at the time his journey wasn't without a few hitches as he crash-landed in a garden, on a cricket pitch and on a police dog training field.

It will be a cold and breezy night with some wintry showers and lows of 1C (34F).

There will be sunny spells tomorrow with some showers drifting eastwards.

BBC Weather Watchers/Laura and Glenn

You can find a detailed forecast for your area on the BBC Weather site.

From Stoke-on-Trent Live today:

• Part of the D-road to close for two weekends
• Council accused of 'blackmailing' tenants into having solar panels on council houses
• Man slams Sainsbury's after late-night car park repairs keep him awake