More than 60 parliamentarians have signed a letter warning current restrictions are ‘not acceptable and arguably not lawful’.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson received his first dose of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine on Friday evening.

An NHS boss has today spoken of the battle ahead to restore services at a Black Country hospital.

A major new project has been launched to help tackle the digital divide among youngsters in a city.

Hospital staff have been left “psychologically scarred” by the traumatic experience of dealing with seriously ill Covid patients, an NHS boss has said.

The region’s live music scene is set to flourish after a top venue operator takes over at the Civic halls, Tom Watson has said.

A murderer who burned his victim with an iron after he stabbed him so hard he broke the blade will spend at least 17 years behind bars.

Julie Hambleton simply wants to see justice, not just for her sister but for all victims of crime.

Almost £70 million will be spent over the next year on projects to ease traffic flow and improve safety across a county.

New areas for children to play and exciting new walking trails will be among the improvements at two country parks after a funding boost.

New aerial images have revealed the transformation of disused brownfield land into a £120 million university campus in Wolverhampton.

Waiter, waiter, this food is terrible. And such small portions!

A mother and her friends are taking on a massive walking challenge to honour the memory of her late son.

More than 7,000 street lights have been converted into greener and more cost-effective low-energy LEDs.

The coronavirus pandemic has not stopped a creative mother from using her skills to make fundraising Easter bonnets.

Pupils were delighted when a former governor dropped in to deliver laptops and computer equipment to help them in their studies.

A South Staffordshire-based author has released her second children’s book, despite lockdown.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson had previously admitted that over time the rules have been ‘complicated and confusing’.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) said the vaccine’s benefits in reducing Covid-19 outweighed any potential risks.

See the latest figures for coronavirus cases and deaths in your area.

A Wolverhampton who tried to hide hundreds of pounds worth of heroin and crack cocaine in an intimate place when she was spotted drug dealing has narrowly escaped being jailed.

Staff were threatened with a knife when a man robbed a Dudley supermarket today.

The Voice winner Blessing Annatoria, is marking the release of the music video from her debut album.

Pc Oliver Banfield of West Midlands Police admitted attacking a woman.

Dudley's new £18 million leisure centre is set to be named after Duncan Edwards, it has been revealed.

The European Medicines Agency has said the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab is a ‘safe and effective vaccine after its use was suspended by multiple countries.

Walsall’s growing army of litter picking volunteers have been praised as council bosses vowed to keep up the fight against fly-tippers.

A company answered an SOS call from a Walsall charity to provide more than 100 food parcels for residents in need.

Neighbours have today told of how they attempted to fight through smoke to rescue a man killed in a house fire in the Black Country.

A real ale pub in Willenhall hit by the Covid lockdown has been handed a boost with its refurbishment plans finally given the go-ahead.

A further nine coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire.

A Staffordshire pub that has changed ownership five times in 22 years is now helping a landscaping business to expand.

Three new units have been given the green light for two plots on a South Staffordshire business park.

A business centre near Penkridge is set to expand after plans for 12 new office cabins were passed.

Care providers in Wolverhampton are to receive a 1.8 per cent rise in fees to cover the rising cost of supplying services to the elderly and infirm in the city.

A plan to expand a special school in Oldbury to allow it to take in more children has been approved.

Council bosses in Wolverhampton are investing £2 million in helping young people across the city plan and set up their own community activities.

A stolen Audi rammed a police car when it was tracked to a Black Country driveway by a helicopter.

Smethwick has seen a surge of Covid infections in recent weeks – despite a fast fall of Covid cases across the Sandwell borough.

PA takes a look at some of the sectors that gained most from the global pandemic, and some that lost out.

People risk a fine or arrest, the Metropolitan Police said, despite ongoing criticism for their handling of the Sarah Everard vigil last weekend.

Public Health Wales reported nine further deaths, taking the total in the country since the start of the pandemic to 5,476.

Digital sales surged as people sought more entertainment at home throughout the pandemic.

A man in his 30s has been stabbed in Tipton.

An off–duty firefighter has been praised after rescuing a young child trapped in a severe house fire in the West Midlands. 

The research focused on the 27 London bus drivers who had been working in February 2020 and died from coronavirus between March and May.

Preparation work has started ahead of the building of new council homes as part of a major transformation of a Wolverhampton estate.

The committee hit out at the confusing ambiguity of protest laws under lockdown.

Court cases were reviewed after it emerged errors had led to wrongful coronavirus prosecutions.

One person was thought to have tried to call 300 times, using re-dial.

Churches, synagogues and mosques are among religious buildings which had to close in March 2020.

From a takeaway treat to award-winning TV, this is how we kept ourselves amused through 12 difficult months.

A further 23% of UK adults said they were more likely to keep away from public transport.

Only Bulgaria recorded a higher rate of cumulative excess mortality for this age group, figures show

One of the world's top venue operators is set to run Wolverhampton's Civic halls when they reopen next year.

Plans have been unveiled for a new £12 million campus at a Black Country special needs school.

More than 800 weapons including knives, swords and a bayonet have been taken off the streets of the West Midlands through weapon surrender bins.

The PA news agency was granted rare behind-the-scenes access to the hospital as staff try to restart more non-Covid services.

The 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham are expected to deliver 35,000 jobs as part of a boost to the West Midlands and wider UK.

A £5 million county-wide package of support programmes for small businesses and apprentices has been launched through a Staffordshire councils partnership.

This is the first look inside a hotel and spa which has been converted into a Nightingale court as part of plans to tackle a backlog of cases.

A Black Country man was in the middle of a carriageway when he was hit by a motorcycle sustaining injuries which later killed him, an inquest has heard.

Boris Johnson said his road map for easing restrictions depends on coronavirus cases continuing to drop.

Surveys suggest that many people will now want to split their working week between home and office.

The AstraZeneca vaccine officially being declared safe leads Friday’s front pages.

Dr Chaand Nagpaul, BMA council chairman, said “forcing doctors to just ‘get back to normal’ without respite and support is not the way forward.”

Helen Dickinson, chief executive of British Retail Consortium (BRC), said the current shopping environment feels ‘a world apart’ from a year ago.

Jordan Lever, 33, had to look elsewhere for work when the pandemic hit the theatre industry.

A study says vaccinating all adults in the UK is unlikely to achieve herd immunity and fully contain the virus.

The annual World Happiness Report found no overall global decline in people’s perceptions of their wellbeing.

Latest Government figures show bus usage outside London is at 46% of pre-pandemic levels after reaching a high of 63% in November 2020.

Researchers investigated whether the risk differed between adults living with and without school-age children during the first two waves last year.

Lockdown has forced people away from pubs, gyms and shops and turned their attentions to online quizzes, Zoom calls and Netflix binges.

Public sector debt rose above £2 trillion in 2020.

The pub chain plans to reopen almost 400 sites when outdoor service is allowed again in April.

Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis compared the situation to being told you could not celebrate Christmas with others until Boxing Day.

The Culture Secretary emphasised the importance of getting crowds back into stadiums and theatres this summer.

An MP has urged residents to get a Covid test after the South African strain of coronavirus was found in part of the Black Country.

Police have donated hundreds of laptops to schools to help disadvantaged children.

A city foodbank has said it fears it will not make it past the end of the month without help with donations.

Labour's deputy leader has branded a proposed one per cent pay rise for NHS workers a "smack in the face" to staff in the Midlands.

A hospital boss has today spoken of the bravery and courage of staff who have fought against Covid-19 on the frontline for around a year.

The closure of another high street store in the region has been described as "yet another casualty of the pandemic" – as even more businesses face uncertain futures as they await to reopen next month.

Schoolgirls Annie Bourne and Layla Kulik have taken on a running challenge to help raise funds for the Motor Neurone Association after their uncle, Mark Lythgoe, from Cannock, was diagnosed with the disease.

One-off payments of £2,000 have been offered to self-employed taxi drivers in Dudley who have been affected by Covid-19.

Cameron Homes has opened a drive-through lateral flow Covid test centre, which is open to all employees, at its Chasetown headquarters.

Staff and residents at a south Staffordshire care home have been speaking of their joy after a local surgery created a pop-up vaccination centre for its patients.

Labour is not prepared to let this one go. It knows it has the Government in a tough spot on an emotive issue.

Nine people were left needing medical treatment after a suspected arson attack at a block of flats in Wolverhampton today.

A woman has been arrested in Wolverhampton following the seizure of cocaine worth around £1.6 million.

A man has been banned from driving after leading police on a drunken chase through Staffordshire roads.

One man has been arrested after a quantity of class A and B drugs were seized in Cannock.

A teenager accused of murdering another young man in Great Barr is himself in hospital after being stabbed

Two men arrested in connection with a stabbing at Walsall Railway Station have been released on bail.

Emergency services were called to put out a fire started after two men broke down in a van near Bridgnorth.

More than one million people across the region have now received their first Covid vaccine.

Under the Government’s current plans, up to 10,000 fans could be allowed in outdoor seated venues from May 17.

Sir Simon Stevens said the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab he received at the Westminster Abbey vaccination site was ‘quick, painless and effective’.

A total of 6.3 million tests were conducted in the week to March 10, up from 2.8 million in the previous week.

The duke and duchess were visiting Newham ambulance station in east London.