Live updates for Staffordshire and Cheshire have finished for the day but we'll be back from 08:00 Wednesday with the latest news, sport, travel and weather.

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

You can also get the latest Staffordshire and Cheshire weather forecast from the BBC website.

Graham McGarry
BBC Radio Stoke Sports Editor

At today's press conference, the Port Vale manager Rob Page has been telling me he feels his side were close to beating Oldham.

The club had taken the lead in the game but were pegged back just eight minutes later - the match ended in a draw.

Andy Giddings
BBC Local Live

An expedition to the North Pole, which is being sponsored by a Lichfield businessman, is having to drastically change its route at the 11th hour because of dangerous Arctic conditions.

Mark Tweddle, the managing director of Jupiter Marketing told us his friend Mark Wood and his team were due to leave on Saturday on their 600-mile journey from the Russian Arctic Coast, but have decided to put it off for a month.

Mr Wood has previously said it could be the last expedition of its kind, because of the effect climate change is having on the Arctic.

Matt Sandoz
Stoke City commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

The Stoke City boss Mark Hughes has confirmed today that defender Phil Bardsley will be sidelined through injury for their game at Chelsea and that Geoff Cameron's fitness will be assessed.

Image source, Getty Images

Speaking at his press conference today, he's also given an injury update on another Potters defender, Ryan Shawcross.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

Drivers are being warned to be prepared tomorrow morning in Staffordshire and Cheshire as snow and ice is being forecast for tonight and tomorrow.

Image source, Heatherbell

Rain, sleet and hill snow is being forecast for Friday and the Met Office has issued yellow weather warnings, external for much of the day.

You'll be able to get the latest news, weather and travel updates on our Stoke and Staffordshire Live page tomorrow.

Nick Owen
Presenter, BBC Midlands Today

Join us for Midlands Today on BBC One this evening from 18:30 - here's a look ahead to some of the stories we'll be covering.

Emma Thomas
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

These pictures were taken for BBC Radio Stoke at the scene of the huge fire in Stafford this afternoon. 

Thirty hours on, the emergency services are still working to finally extinguish the blaze.

David Gregory-Kumar
Science correspondent, BBC Midlands Today

Research at Staffordshire University , externalsuggests a "wall of plants", planted in Birmingham, is helping to cut traffic pollution.

Scientists say it's especially helping to reduce tiny particles produced by the exhausts of cars with diesel engines.

The ivy-covered screens along Bristol Road were designed to be a cost effective way to put more plants in the city centre.

BBC Radio Stoke

A young woman has warned of the dangers of meeting people online after a Staffordshire man she said groomed her on a bereavement website avoided a jail term.

Image source, PA

The 21-year old was speaking after Jonathan Fawcett, 26, who travelled from his home on Manley Road in Lichfield to Northern Ireland to meet and have sex with her when she was 15, was placed on probation for three years.

Fawcett, who has autism, admitted 18 counts of sexual assaulting the teenager.

They met on a suicide support website as they had both lost a loved one. She said she hoped what happened to her would act as a warning to others.

John Collins
Newsreader, BBC Radio Stoke

The main stories for Staffordshire and Cheshire this evening:

- Tankers are being used by the Environment Agency to pump oil from the River Sow, external in Stafford after yesterday's huge warehouse blaze

- A murder trial has heard a 21-month-old toddler died after injuries consistent with being "stamped on or crushed" - both defendants deny murder

- A man has died in a Tamworth flat fire caused by "carelessly discarded smoking materials", the fire service says

BBC Midlands Today

Multimillion-pound plans, external to bring one of Stoke-on-Trent's most important pottery sites back to life are finally coming to fruition.

Since it fell into administration in 2008, the Spode Works site, external has been empty and abandoned. 

Now more than 40 artists' workshops are about to be completed, external there and planning consent has just been granted for student accommodation.

Jack Dowling
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

A man has died in a Tamworth flat fire caused by "carelessly discarded smoking materials", the fire service says.

Crews from Staffordshire Fire and Rescue were called to an address in the town at 19:50 on Wednesday.

They rescued a man from the first-floor flat in Stonydelph and he was taken to hospital but later died.

The fire service said the cause of the blaze was believed to have been accidental.

Peter Wilson
BBC Midlands Today Special Correspondent

A murder trial has heard a 21-month-old toddler died after injuries consistent with being "stamped on or crushed".

Ayeeshia Jane Smith died from a tear to her heart at her home in Burton-upon-Trent, in May 2014.

Home office pathologist Dr Alexander Kolar told the jury at Birmingham Crown Court that almost all of her internal organs had suffered some injury.

Image source, Newsteam

Her mother Kathryn Smith, 23, and her partner Matthew Rigby, 22, deny murder, causing the death of a child and causing unnecessary suffering to a child.

The trial continues.

Monica Rimmer
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

There's blue sky over the Staffordshire Moorlands, according to this photo from BBC Weather Watcher Videoman in Leek, who uploaded it this morning.

Image source, videoman

You too can be a BBC Weather Watcher and I may feature your photo on the page too - just go to the website and sign up.

Crewe Chronicle

Police are hunting for a man who glassed a pub-goer in Crewe, external in what’s been described as a "disgusting, violent attack".

Graham McGarry
Crewe Alexandra commentator, BBC Radio Stoke

Crewe Alexandra's George Cooper says he's feeling happy and looking to contribute more to the Alex as they look to claw back eight points in 12 games to avoid relegation.

Image source, Empics

Cooper told BBC Radio Stoke he also enjoyed finding the net from a free-kick in the 1-1 draw with Southend on Tuesday.

Sarah Robertson
News Editor, BBC Radio Stoke

Tankers are being used by the Environment Agency to pump oil from the River Sow, external in Stafford after yesterday's huge warehouse blaze.

The organisation says they've had no reports of dead fish or fish in distress since the fire. 

Image source, Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service

In other developments, external:

- Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service says it is now working to find out what caused the fire 

- Public Health England says air quality levels are back to normal levels and there's no risk for residents wanting to open windows and doors 

- Stafford Borough Council says it's going to be checking on people returning home after they were evacuated yesterday and overnight

Daniel Wainwright
Data unit - English regions

Cheshire East is among the English councils getting the largest share of extra government funding to help them cope with impending cuts.

Overall, councils are sharing an extra £300m of the cash and BBC News has been looking at why some are getting far more per person than others.

Labour has accused the government of dishing out the grants for political reasons, which the government denies.

BBC News has compared the figures, external and the reasons for this are more complex than first appears - read the full story on the website.

Allen Cook
BBC Local Live

This photograph was taken at Rode Hall, Scholar Green by Sally Blagg but emailed in by her friend Ann Ferrington who says she thinks "it's fabulous".

Image source, Sally Blagg

If you've got a great picture to share of Staffordshire and Cheshire I would love to see it.

I'll feature as many as I can - you can send them in on email, Twitter, external and Instagram, external.