Live updates for Herefordshire and Worcestershire have finished for the day but we'll be back from 08:00 on Thursday with the latest news, sport, travel and weather.

Paths in Sanders Park in Bromsgrove may be closed next week as potholes are fixed, the council is warning.

Image source, Google

Work will start on Tuesday, 29 April, on paths, the car park and the entrance, where there is a particularly large pothole.

Trevor Owens
Sports Editor, BBC Hereford & Worcester

Kidderminster Harriers' chief executive, Colin Gordon, says he is at a loss as to why there is so much interest in the appointment of the new head coach or manager at Aggborough.

He says an announcement will be made in due course.

Kidderminster Shuttle

A Chaddesley Corbett school is set to merge with Bromsgrove School, external in a bid to preserve its future.

Officials planning the Olympic Games in Tokyo in 2020 have been to the University of Worcester to get advice on how to create a legacy after the event has finished.

The university has been giving advice on inclusive sport - it is the home the Great Britain wheelchair basketball squad and opened the University Arena after the London 2012 games.

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

There will be largely clear skies across the area overnight, with light winds too. This will lead to a patchy frost forming in rural spots, with the odd fog patch possible.

BBC News England

Detectives investigating the murder of a man who was stabbed to death on Father's Day are given more time to question a suspect.

Christian Bagley, 30, died in hospital after being stabbed in the arm and back under Hunderton Bridge in Hereford last June.

Image source, West Mercia Police

These are caused between a signalling fault between Droitwich and Worcester.

A dead otter found in Malvern has been sent to a specialist centre in Cardiff to found out how it died.

Image source, Worcestershire Wildlife Trust

The animal was found by a former staff member of the Worcestershire Wildlife Trust - the charity then arranged for it to be sent to the Otter Project based at Cardiff University, external, which monitors deaths of the species.

Claudia Berry
Producer, BBC Hereford & Worcester

Here are some of the main stories we are looking at in Herefordshire and Worcestershire:

- A second bookmakers in Redditch has been raided by armed robbers within the space of three days

- A SAS hero decorated for his role in an airport hostage rescue has died

- Bromsgrove's Jess Varnish is dropped from the GB cycling squad

Hereford FC officials say supporters who were involved in pitch invasions or disorder in the club’s Midland Football League matches at Dunkirk or Alvechurch that they have until midnight tonight to take advantage of an amnesty.

The club says a number of fans have already come forward and admitted their involvement and they are hoping to set up a Supporters Awareness Course rather than handing out banning orders.

Anyone who is yet to come forward is being urged to do so as the club has video evidence and those who don’t volunteer themselves will be more at risk of a banning order that could lead to them missing the FA Vase final against Morpeth Town at Wembley on Sunday, 22 May.

Jerry Chester
BBC News Online

This picture was taken from the Sabrina footbridge in Worcester by Hugo Sugg.

Send me any great shots you have of Herefordshire and Worcestershire - you can email, tweet us on @bbchw, external or message via Facebook, external.

Image source, Hugo Sugg

Worcester News

Seasonal variations in the labour market have been blamed for yet another increase in the number of Worcester people out of work., external

Judith Burns
Education reporter

Nearly 750 childcare providers say they fear being put out of business by government plans to double free hours, says the Pre-school Learning Alliance.

Image source, Thinkstock

In 2017, free care for three and four-year-olds will rise from 15 to 30 hours in each term-time week.

But childcare providers say the scheme is underfunded, and 49% of 1,500 who chose to respond to an online survey said they could be forced to close.

Ministers say many providers are keen to take part in the scheme.

Jess Varnish has been dropped from the GB cycling squad "based on a projection of medal competitiveness at Olympic level", says British Cycling technical director, Shane Sutton.

The 25-year-old cyclist missed out on selection for the Rio Olympics after she and Katy Marchant finished fifth at last month's World Championships. 

Afterwards she strongly criticised British Cycling for "bad decisions".

UK unemployment rose by 21,000 to 1.7 million between December and February, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) says.

That is the first increase since the May-July period of last year.

"It's too soon to be certain, but with unemployment up for the first time since mid-2015 - and employment seeing its slowest rise since that period - it's possible that recent improvements in the labour market may be easing off," ONS statistician Nick Palmer said.

There's been a second armed robbery at a bookmakers, external in Redditch, police say.

West Mercia Police say that at approximately 09:05 this morning a man threatened staff with a gun at a bookmakers on Shakespeare Avenue, before leaving with "a quantity of cash".

Image source, Google

On Monday, a man stole cash from bookmakers on Batchley Road, again after threatening staff with a firearm.

Police say extra patrols are being carried out in the area, focusing on other bookmakers.

Claudia Berry
Producer, BBC Hereford & Worcester

Here are some of the main stories we are looking at in Herefordshire and Worcestershire:

- Second armed robbery at bookmakers

- SAS hero from airport hostage rescue dies

- Camera on a balloon sent into space by Herefordshire schoolchildren

More social workers have been recruited to tackle a shortage, but vacancies still remain, Herefordshire Council says.

The authority had a higher percentage of children's social worker vacancies than any other council in the West Midlands, according to figures for the year to September 2015.

The council say one in five social worker jobs at the council are empty because it's hard to keep staff - it has recently recruited Romanian workers and graduates to fill its vacancies.

A new assistant chief constable has been appointed for the West Mercia Police and Warwickshire Police forces.

Chief Superintendent Amanda Blakeman has been carrying out the role on a temporary basis since 2014.

She began her career with the West Mercia force in 1992.

Image source, West Mercia Police