BBC Local Live: Herefordshire & Worcestershire

This evening cloud will tend to thicken as a weather front approaches from the north-west. That is going to give us mild conditions overnight with some outbreaks of rain at times too. Lows of 11C (51.8F).

Accident and Emergency departments around the region are starting to feel the winter strain with waiting times exceeding the government target of four hours. 

At the Worcestershire Royal Hospital, many patients had to wait five hours to be seen at times.

Join me for BBC Midlands Today at 18:30 on BBC One.

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Will Spencer and Connor Braid will make their Worcester debuts in the European Challenge Cup against Newport Gwent Dragons.

Lock Spencer will make his long awaited debut after recovering from injury while fly-half Braid starts after joining in November.

Rex FeaturesCopyright: Rex Features

Captain Ryan Mills returns while scrum-half George de Cothi, prop Biyi Alo and wing Ben Howard start.

Wales centre Tyler Morgan will start on the wing for Dragons.

A lorry became wedged in Bromyard's one-way system causing its closure for several hours this morning.  

Earlier we heard councils in Herefordshire and Worcestershire had made a surplus of £35m in five years from their car parks - according to research by the RAC Foundation.

You've been having your say on the BBC Hereford and Worcester Facebook page.

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Danny W Gill wrote: "They should only charge what it costs to maintain the car parks, together with sensible business rates to give small shops a chance, then and only then can they revitalize our towns and city centres. It's just another tax on car users."

Al Smith wrote: "When it's the best part of £5 to park your car for the day and have hardly any decent shops to visit I'd rather walk into town or better still drive to merry hill (free parking) or jump on the train to Birmingham."

David Armstrong wrote: Council Tax payers should get a pass for parking in their home town."

Today's headlines include:

- West Mercia Police has been told to look again at whether one of its officers used excessive force during an arrest

- The new permanent chief executive in charge of Worcestershire's hospitals is a former nurse from Australia

- Villagers affected by the collapse of a bridge in Worcestershire have secured nearly £5,000 from the National Lottery for a party to celebrate the opening of the new bridge

West Mercia Police has been told to look again at whether one of its officers used excessive force during an arrest. 

After hearing an appeal from a Herefordshire man, the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) has now recommended a police officer should face a gross misconduct hearing. 

This relates back to an incident in Ross-on-Wye in 2013, after which an allegation was made that excessive force was used during the arrest of a man at a kebab shop. 

While it has not carried out its own independent investigation, the IPCC has considered an appeal from the victim, who's not satisfied with West Mercia's own review. 

Three other officers are recommended for management action over how the man was treated in custody. It's now up to West Mercia to look again at the case.

Worcester Warriors are expecting to receive compensation for the loss of injured scrum-half Francois Hougaard.

The 28-year-old South African returned from Rugby Championship international duty for his country in October with a shoulder injury.

It was expected to keep him out for three months and he is ahead of his schedule in his rehabilitation.

But chief executive Jim O'Toole says the Warriors are in the process of finalising a compensation payment.

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Quote Message: Francois Hougaard came back from South Africa carrying an injury which he suffered during his campaign with them and we've had to pick up the pieces from that." from Jim O'Toole Worcester Warriors Chief Executive

Francois Hougaard came back from South Africa carrying an injury which he suffered during his campaign with them and we've had to pick up the pieces from that."

A drug driver got behind the wheel whilst being a staggering 55 times over the legal limit.  

The new chief executive in charge of Worcestershire's main hospitals says she has already been "encouraged by the enthusiasm and support" of the team at the trust.

Michelle McKay says she is looking forward to helping to "drive forward an improvement programme to deliver the very best acute hospital care possible".

The former nurse and hospital manager from Australia was appointed after a long-running search to fill the top job.

Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS TrustCopyright: Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust

She starts work in March and joins the hospital trust at a tough time, facing a large deficit and currently in special measures.

The trust said good work this year had seen a deficit of £59.9m in 2015-16 on target to be reduced to £35m by the end of the financial year.

This photo of Stoke Edith in Herefordshire was sent in today by BBC Weather Watcher Hill View.

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Armed police came "within a hair's breadth" of shooting a man in a gun drama near a quiet Worcestershire village, a court heard.

Injured Worcester Warriors scrum-half Francois Hougaard says he is getting closer to a return to action.

He is suffering a shoulder injury after international duty with South Africa.

Today's headlines include:

- The new permanent chief executive in charge of Worcestershire's hospitals is a former nurse from Australia

- A group of Herefordshire volunteers is taking over two historic buildings from the council to ensure they remain open to the public

- Villagers affected by the collapse of a bridge in Worcestershire have secured nearly £5,000 from the National Lottery for a party to celebrate the opening of the new bridge

Police in Ledbury have launched a crackdown on shoplifting, during the countdown to Christmas.  

Students at the University of Worcester have been given the chance to question inspectors from a healthcare watchdog.

University of WorcesterCopyright: University of Worcester

Inspection managers from the Care Quality Commission (CQC) spoke to the university’s health and social care, dementia studies and mental health degree students about what the organisation does.

Lucy Bland (pictured above) and Mandy Walker, who lead inspection teams for the CQC in adult social care in the West Midlands, then asked students to rate real-life cases from the watchdog's own reports.

An investigation is underway into an arson which took place at a takeaway in the early hours of this morning.