The Ministry of Defence will also provide examiners to boost the number of HGV tests available amid a shortage of drivers.

The leader’s keynote speech to the Labour conference is due on Wednesday.

A 12-year-old boy has died after being seriously injured at an indoor ski centre.

A patient suspected to have suffered a stroke was delayed getting to hospital when a missile was thrown at an ambulance on blue lights.

Members and associates of a modern slavery gang which forced hundreds of its victims to live in squalor in the Black Country have been jailed.

Industry bodies said consumers and businesses faced ‘another less than happy’ festive season if the offer was not made more generous.

A tribute to that most English of Englishmen, Noel Coward, is being presented at Lichfield's The Hub at St Mary's tonight (September 30).

England’s deputy chief medical officer also urged people to listen to scientists about coronavirus instead of celebrities.

Deputy Labour leader Angela Rayner set out proposals to improve workers’ pay and conditions as the party conference began in Brighton.

NHS chiefs are seeking patients' views on the planned transformation of urgent and emergency care which will see the closure of all minor injuries units and walk-in centres.

Doctor surgeries have faced pressure like never before because of the Covid pandemic.

Message In a Bottle at Birmingham Hippodrome, reviewed by Maria Cusine.

A naval officer has received his first promotion on board the Royal Navy's newest aircraft carrier after setting sail at the beginning of September.

Queues and and closures are continuing to affect petrol stations across the region - with a temporary visa scheme expected to be announced to ease the lorry driver shortage.

Seven cars were damaged on the M6 when one crashed into the central reservation in the West Midlands.

Drivers are facing long delays while a busy junction of the M6 is shut for a new bridge to be installed.

As the West Midlands nightlife returns after a Covid-enforced hiatus, former Judas Priest guitarist Kenneth 'KK' Downing is raring to go.

A controversial former deputy council leader who was at the centre of allegations over dodgy land deals has been expelled from the Labour Party.

Edmund King said the problem should pass in a matter of days if people fill up normally.

Angela Rayner will open the party conference with a promise to improve pay and conditions.

No punks, glam rock, or flares this time round.

A student became king for the day after returning back to school as a world champion.

Lichfield's bars, cafes and restaurants are to continue serving patrons on the city centre's streets for another year.

Some of the country's best female road cyclists will be testing themselves on the streets of a Black Country town.

A 'camera pill' will be trialled in the West Midlands, allowing vital easier tests for complaints including bowel cancer

The head coach of Team GB's gold-medal winning disability rugby team gave an inspiring talk to pupils at Fernadale Primary School in Great Barr.

The company was fined by Ofgem earlier this year for missing its payments into a renewable energy scheme.

The boss of collapsed supplier Green Energy suggested a majority of energy companies are at risk of going out of business due to the energy crisis.

More than half of local areas are currently recording a week-on-week rise in rates.

The Scouts have started their first new programme in 35 years and are calling for volunteers to help with the roll-out.

A car driver and passenger swapped seats at 60mph on a motorway after being spotted by police returning home from committing crimes.

Class A drugs and machetes were seized during County Lines raids in the Black Country.

One of the best-known thoroughfares in Wolverhampton is 200 years old. Roger Poole looks back at its story.

A music and comedy festival held in Wolverhampton has been branded a “flop” following poor ticket sales and attendances to some of the shows.

A public meeting emphasising the need for road safety improvements at a "lethal" Staffordshire junction is to take place.

A music festival in the Black country has cancelled one of its dates due to nationwide CO2 shortages.

West Midlands Police is set to bring in 'gender-neutral' hats in the first major change to its uniform in decades.

Motorists across the Black Country are being urged to stop panic buying at petrol forecourts – amid fears supplies will run dry.

Health chiefs labelled anti-vax protesters targeting schools in the region 'disappointing' as they urged people to ignore the myths and get the jab.

Cheryl Cole has stepped down from performing at Birmingham Pride in the wake of former bandmate Sarah Harding's death.

Health workers in Sandwell are "working their socks off" managing coronavirus infections but an "incredibly challenging winter" is to come, health bosses said.

NHS England is to send thousands of texts to eligible teenagers in the coming days.

The competition watchdog said that there is ‘no excuse for poor or non-existent service’.

Heathrow, Manchester and Edinburgh airports all reported problems with e-gates.

The Transport Secretary has tried to dissuade drivers from panic buying petrol, after BP was forced to close down a handful of its forecourts.

Police are upping their presence in Walsall town centre after a spate of violent attacks in the area.

A petition has been launched to save a community centre that risks being demolished to build new houses for the region.

Drivers have paid the penalty for going in the wrong direction at a turn left-only junction in Sutton Coldfield.

A further nine coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in the region's hospitals, in the latest figures released by NHS England.

We caught up with some of the homegrown performers starring in School of Rock the Musical at Wolverhampton Grand.

A student midwife from Walsall who has endured “horrendous and heartbreaking” Covid experiences is joining others to urge their peers to get jabbed.

A new strategy to promote open conversation on end-of-life care has launched in Sandwell.

A sculpture marking the centenary of the world's largest women's organisation, Soroptimist International, has been unveiled at the National Memorial Arboretum.

Residents who want to have their say on planning proposals in Cannock Chase could soon have their speaking time halved at council meetings.

A murder investigation has been launched after a man died one month after being attacked in a Black Country street.

A Black Country council has come under under fire after documents used to assist the auditor were not delivered for the second year running.

Dudley Council are set to consult on an alternative method to kill weeds in public green spaces.

Operators of a new biogas plant on a farm near Penkridge have been given the go-ahead to start generating energy despite roadworks not yet being complete.

A former petrol station on one of South Staffordshire’s main roads is to be brought back into use after plans were given the green light.

Damien Bendall, 31, appeared at Derby Crown Court on Friday over the deaths in Killamarsh, near Sheffield.

A static caravan has been allowed to remain at a sports club almost 70 years after “temporary” permission was first granted.