BBC News Stoke & Staffordshire

Our local BBC Weather Watchers have been out keeping us updated on their local forecast and snapping photos of the area too.

These three are from users Ray in Oakengates, Shropshire, Videoman in Leek, Staffordshire and Banjo Calling in Rugby, Warwickshire:

RayCopyright: Ray

VideomanCopyright: Videoman

Banjo CallingCopyright: Banjo Calling

A theatre has been given more than £1m by the boss of gambling firm Bet365 to help it recover from the pandemic.

Andrew BillingtonCopyright: Andrew Billington

Bosses at the New Vic theatre in Newcastle-under-Lyme, Staffordshire, said it has struggled for funds over the last 18 months, with its income "drastically reduced".

The £1m grant has come from Denise Coates, founder of Bet365, through her foundation.

The theatre's artistic director, Theresa Heskins, said the money would allow them to keep producing shows made in Staffordshire and deliver community activities this summer and next year.

Travel agents in the West Midlands have given a mixed reaction to changes to the UK's green travel list.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Spain's Balearic Islands, Madeira, Malta and Barbados are among the places added to the list by the transport secretary.

People entering the UK from 16 places will not have to quarantine from 04:00 on 30 June, Grant Shapps confirmed.

Mel Sallis runs Journeys à la Carte in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire, and said the expansion of the list is generally good news for her industry.

"I am confident with the Balearic Islands, Malta and Madeira, it is just going to be a case of looking at each country on an individual basis," she said.

But Dawn Scase, from Rediscover the World near Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, said the changes by the government do not go far enough.

"It is getting further and further into the summer and the big hitters like Italy, Spain, Greece, are just not on there and people are not going to go," she said.

Today across the West Midlands we're expecting sunshine and variable cloud, along with a few isolated showers.

Further sunny spells later on, but there is a small risk of heavy, possibly thundery, showers developing in places. Highs of 18C (64F).

Tonight it will continue cloudy and dry across most areas, although there is a continued risk of a few heavy showers developing in places during the first half of the night.

Lows of 10C (50F).

A virtual community event is being held tonight for people affected by the odour from a Staffordshire landfill site.

The event is being hosted by the Environment Agency, who said it will be a chance for people to talk to the agency about what it is doing to hold the operator of Walleys Quarry to account for the odour.

Residents in Silverdale, Staffordshire, have been campaigning for action at the site.

The event is being held from 18:00 to 20:00 tonight.

Clare Dinnis, Environment Agency area director, said: “I completely understand that odour from Walleys Quarry landfill site is really distressing and unacceptable for the local community.

"I would like to assure everyone that we will continue to hold the site operator to account to improve its management of landfill gas from the site, and do everything within our power to bring the site back into compliance with its permits as quickly as possible.”

You will be able to see Stoke-on-Trent's Spitfire in Hanley from September.

The aircraft has been out of the area for the last three years while it was being restored.

Stoke-on-Trent City CouncilCopyright: Stoke-on-Trent City Council

It is being housed in a specially created glass extension at The Potteries Museum & Art Gallery.

City council cabinet member for culture, leisure & public health Lorraine Beardmore says it's great for the area.

Quote Message: It's a real icon isn't it, the Spitfire? Not just for the generation that remember it previously, but it's about inspiring a new generation and that educational aspect in terms of inspiring people to get into engineering careers." from Lorraine Beardmore Councillor, Stoke-on-Trent City Council

It's a real icon isn't it, the Spitfire? Not just for the generation that remember it previously, but it's about inspiring a new generation and that educational aspect in terms of inspiring people to get into engineering careers."

A seller in Staffordshire was left £2,000 out of pocket after selling a computer part online, police have warned.

The victim, from Leek, made an agreement with a man to purchase the item on Facebook, and the suspect visited his home to pick it up shortly before 16:00 on Sunday.

The suspect, who is described as a male in his 20s with an Irish accent, showed the victim his banking app, to show the money been transferred and the transaction had taken place.

But once he left, the victim checked on his own banking app to see the money had been deposited but it had not and after contacting his bank was told no payment had been made or attempted.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

An investigation is under way with the incident reported to Action Fraud.

PC Wendy Rigby from Staffordshire Police said: "If someone insists on collecting the item in person and paying by bank transfer, make sure that you have received the payment before letting them leave with the goods.”

Today, it is set to be a dry and fine day with plenty of sunshine in the morning. In the afternoon, patchy cloud will develop in places, but it should remain dry.

Gentle winds. Highs of 18C to 21C (64F to 70F).

This evening, plenty of sunny spells are expected. Clouds will move in from the north west overnight with the chance of the odd shower or spell of rain. Lows of 12C to 15C (54F to 59F).

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of being concerned in the production of Class B drugs after about 1,500 cannabis plants were found in Stoke-on-Trent.

Staffordshire Police said officers carried out a search at an old business on Market Street, Longton on Monday.

The cannabis plants have been siezed and the two men, aged 18 and 35 remain in custody.

Stoke-on-Trent police shared images of the find on Twitter.

Staffordshire PoliceCopyright: Staffordshire Police

Covid-19 rates have continued to rise in almost every part of the West Midlands region, according to the latest government figures.

In Birmingham, there were 1,425 new cases in the seven days up to and including 17 June, up from 985 the previous week.

At the beginning of May there were just 178 new cases in the city.

BBCCopyright: BBC

The rate of new infections in Birmingham - 125 per 100,000 people - remains low compared with parts of the North West of England, but the case numbers have climbed steadily.

Five local authorities in the West Midlands saw their Covid-19 rates at least double in the week up to 17 June.

In Malvern, they increased 440%, although the overall case numbers remain very low.

In the Staffordshire Moorlands, where surge testing and other measures have been introduced in Leek to combat an outbreak of the Delta variant, the rate of new infections fell for the second week running.

Redditch and Walsall also saw modest drops.

Pupils from 14 schools are being asked to get tested for Covid-19 after a surge in cases in Newcastle-under-Lyme

Testing of thousands of secondary and primary schools will get underway on Tuesday, Staffordshire County Council said, in a bid to stop further spread.

Older pupils will be tested in school over the next few days, with kits sent home with younger pupils.

Year 11 and 13 pupils who have already left school are also being urged to go to their local government testing centre.

More than 3,000 pupils in total will asked to complete a PCR test, along with hundreds of members of school staff, the authority said.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Cases of Covid-19 in the town have reached 91 per 100,000 population, the highest rate in Staffordshire, with most cases within the 11-34 age bracket.

New flexible tickets go on sale from Monday aimed at commuters in England who only travel to work two or three days a week.

The new tickets can be used for eight days in any month-long period.

The National Rail website will allow passengers to calculate savings and book the new tickets.

GoogleCopyright: Google

It is part of the government's planned shake-up of rail services, but is being introduced immediately to cater to the trend for more home-working.

Two-days-a-week commuters using flexible season tickets could save more than £260 travelling from Woking to London, £230 from Liverpool to Manchester, and £170 from Stafford to Birmingham, according to Department for Transport analysis.