‘Being supportive and taking an interest is really good, but stepping into the policing arena is not’, Gareth Morgan said.

Jeremy Daw, known to friends as Jack, died last month when his ambulance was struck by an object as he responded to a 999 call in Herefordshire.

Downloaded readings show the weapon was used for a total of 81 seconds before Atkinson’s death in 2016.

A budding wild bird photographer from Wolverhampton has won a national amateur photography competition run by wilko.

Pub group Marston's slumped to a £105.5 million pre-tax loss in the 26 weeks to April 3 as the lockdown and restrictions during the winter months hit hard.

Residents are protesting about a bus stop in the Black Country being moved which has left elderly people struggling to get out of the house.

Home cooking helped drive an "outstanding" year for Mr Kipling owner Premier Foods.

Water company Severn Trent is seeking to raise £250 million through a share placing in order to fund six new green projects.

A man accused of murdering a 21-year-old outside a bar in Walsall carried a hammer during their initial confrontation, a court heard.

Eight-year-old schoolgirl Annabelle Findon has collected donations and raised money for the Black Country Foodbank after taking on the Captain Sir Tom Moore challenge to carry out 100 tasks for charity.

Four inspirational sports-people from across the Black Country have been celebrated ahead of next year's Commonwealth Games in Birmingham.

A Black Country hospital trust has been told it must make 'significant improvements' to its medical services within three months following an inspection by the Care Quality Commission.

Dream projects like the Grand Theatre’s vision for a multi-million pound arts park will help shape the future of the area, a council chief has vowed.

A theatre will come alive with performance tomorrow after more than a year of being mothballed.

"The lesson I’ve learned is that you must talk about your mental health and you must allow yourself to be annoyed and be sad about whatever you’ve been through."

A major exhibition by the renowned British painter Anj Smith is to be staged at The New Art Gallery in Walsall which re-opens its doors this week.

Singer and song-writer Sam Lambeth is raising his voice for charity and helping protect animals placed on the World Wildlife Fund's critically endangered list.

Staff and children at a Halesowen school are celebrating after becoming the first in the Dudley Borough to receive an accreditation from the National Autistic Society.

A Shropshire chef has tasted the sweetness of success after reaching the finals of TV's The Great British Menu – so much so his Whitchurch restaurant is fully booked until January.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has visited a manufacturer in the Black Country to see some of the mental health measures put in place.

Discount retailer, B&M, has announced that it will be making the move across a retail park to a much bigger site.

There were smiles, laughs and not a few tears as family members got to hug for the first time in months at a Black Country care home.

Aspiring pilot Jared Chohan has seen his childhood dreams of attaining his solo flying licence come true at the age of 16.

Debenhams is to shut its doors for the final time in its 243-year history.

Plans for an Arts Park by the Grand Theatre, the City Learning Quarter's new technical centre and improvements to markets will all be part-funded by a £25 million pot from Wolverhampton's Town Deal Board.

Professor Andrew Pollard said vaccine inequity was ‘plain to see’.

The next stage of England’s route out of coronavirus restrictions is scheduled for June 21 at the earliest.

The number out of work in the West Midlands fell in the three months to March and the numbers claiming unemployment benefits last month were also down.

And almost every single person had antibodies after two doses of either the Pfizer of AstraZeneca Covid-19 jabs.

Tourists flying from England began returning to the Portuguese island on Monday after the Government eased its foreign travel restrictions.

One of four men sentenced to life for murdering teenager Keelan Wilson was captured by police with hundreds of pounds worth of drugs near Telford just a few weeks after the murder.

Jenny McGee cared for the Prime Minister in intensive care at St Thomas’ Hospital.

Drivers face 10 months of delays on a busy road through the region while a bridge is repaired.

The spread of the Indian variant is threatening the final set of coronavirus easings planned for June 21 in England.

The Good Law Project and EveryDoctor have brought legal action against the Government over how PPE contracts worth over £650 million were awarded.

Penny Mordaunt described allegations raised by opposition MPs as based on ‘speculation, innuendo and smear’ rather than fact.

A golf academy targeted by thieves who stole thousands of pounds worth of astroturf says police have told them they will call to see them "on Friday".

No 10 intervened after Environment Secretary George Eustice said people could fly out to visit family and friends.

The total has fallen by 98% since the second-wave peak in January.

A further 22 coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in care homes across the Black Country, Staffordshire and Birmingham.

As Glasgow and Moray remain in Level 3 restrictions, officials are looking to trace those who have not had the jab.

Local restrictions cannot be ruled out if coronavirus cases continue to cause concern, Cabinet minister George Eustice said.

Jaguar Land Rover's pre-tax profits improved in the first three months of this year as the luxury car maker made a strong finish to its financial year.

NHS workers in the West Midlands are calling on the public to help them put pressure on the Government to give them a bigger pay rise.

American singer-songwriter Alicia Keys arena show in Birmingham has been put back a year.

More than 250,000 rapid coronavirus tests have been given to Staffordshire residents at local sites.

Health chiefs in Wolverhampton are encouraging secondary-aged pupils and staff to continue wearing face coverings in school in a bid to help stop the spread of Covid-19.

Award-winning musical Everybody's Talking About Jamie will visit Wolverhampton Grand Theatre later this year – starring Shane Richie, Layton Williams and Shobna Gulati.

Holidaymakers at Birmingham Airport have been "really excited" to be travelling again after international travel was backed by the Government.

Boris Johnson’s controversial former aide also suggested vaccines could have been developed sooner if greater risks were taken.

The ONS said the number of payroll workers rose by 97,000 between March and April and the quarterly jobless rate fell to 4.8%.

Thousands of ambulance staff across the West Midlands are set to start using iPads to improve the care they give to patients – thanks to new funding from NHSX.

People can now collect free rapid Covid-19 test kits from a number of schools in Wolverhampton.

Mary Bastholm, 15, disappeared in 1968 and she has long been suspected to be a victim of Gloucester serial killer Fred West.

A free service set up by the Beacon Centre for the Blind to ensure people with sight loss can get information, advice and guidance when they need it the most has supported more than 450 people in its first nine months.

Radiographers, nurses and other staff from a breast screening service have raised more than £1,500 through a mammoth virtual challenge.

Maintenance company manager Dominic Atkiss has been getting some strange looks as he walks barefoot to the shops.

An author has published a debut children's book to raise awareness of homelessness.

Deaths among people aged 90 and over are the lowest since the start of September.

A Stafford man has been jailed after pleading guilty to supplying heroin in the town.

Vicky Head said there had been a ‘massive rise’ in new cases.

One commentator said that vaccine hesitancy was being used as a ‘red herring’ by the Government.

The company has said a new deal with AstraZeneca to manufacture the vaccine will also see revenues jump from £50 million to £100 million.

The spread of the new B.1.617.2 has raised concerns that further lockdown easing may be delayed.

More than nine million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine have been administered in the Midlands, with the region home to the largest number of people vaccinated against the disease across England.

A pedestrian has died after a crash in Birmingham.

Pints inside pubs and hugs inside homes were the order of the day as lockdown restrictions were eased once more.

Home repairs group HomeServe saw strong growth in turnover for its latest financial year.

The US government has yet to announce how the vaccines will be shared or which countries will receive them.

Thailand had about 7,100 cases including 63 deaths in all of last year, in what was regarded as a success story in containing the virus.

India has recorded nearly 280,000 virus deaths since the pandemic began.

The front pages focus on the relaxing of pandemic measures as the Indian mutation continues to spread throughout the UK.

The UK has ordered 100 million doses of the shot.

GP Survival say they have ‘no confidence’ in NHS England medical director for primary care Nikki Kanani.

Adults with young children are now able to meet up indoors in groups of up to 30 in England.

The variant has become the dominant strain in parts of the North West of England.

The Health Secretary said most hospital cases in Bolton were people eligible for the jab but who did not take it up.

Legionella and Fire Safe Services is returning to its roots in Lichfield.

A record number of patients were waiting for routine treatment at hospital trusts in the Black Country and Staffordshire in March, new figures reveal.

The building of a new supermarket on the site of a hotel in Wolverhampton will have a "big impact" on the nearby population through noise and pollution, a councillor has said.

A fugitive from Walsall set up shop as a drug dealer in Exeter during four years in which he was on the run from police in the Midlands, a court has heard.

There were smiles all around as the Black Country Living Museum welcomed back visitors after six months of closure due to the coronavirus pandemic.

A major international hotel chain is in talks with Wolverhampton Council over plans to open a new hotel in the city centre.

"We've been isolated for so long, so it's just really nice to get out and socialise again."

Covid-19 outbreaks in Glasgow and Moray mean these areas remain in Level 3 restrictions while the rest of Scotland moved into Level 2 on Monday.

Culture Minister Caroline Dinenage visited Dudley Canal and River Trust as it reopened following Covid rules lifting.

An old phone box has been saved and renovated for the community after a campaign.

A prominent old Brierley Hill formal menswear shop could be converted into apartments for key workers.

A Black Country drug dealer serving a nine-year prison term has been ordered to pay back more than £90,000 or face extra time behind bars.

John and Victoria Perfect left Birmingham Airport in a rainstorm.

Usman Khan killed Saskia Jones and Jack Merritt in London before he was shot dead by police on London Bridge.

West Brom defender Semi Ajayi has revealed he's been the target of racist abuse via social media.

Police have launched an investigation after a group of men attacked a house with weapons in the West Midlands.

The Empire Cinema in Sutton Coldfield will be reopening from the end of next week.

Pubs, bars, restaurants and cafes in Wales can offer indoor service from Monday for the first time since December as coronavirus restrictions are eased and the country moves into alert level two.

Passenger numbers have more than doubled at Birmingham Airport as delighted holidaymakers boarded flights for the first time in months.

Travellers have moved onto a council-owned site in Lichfield.

A Black Country fitness instructor says she is delighted to be teaching once again – as indoor fitness group sessions resumed in line with Government guidance.

Sprinklers are being retrospectively fitted in a five-storey block of flats to the relief of residents.

A former pub has been demolished and foundation work for 12 homes has begun.