A law which could see tougher sentences introduced for animal cruelty offences has been welcomed by a Wolverhampton MP.

A police commissioner used his final speech in office to accuse the Government of failing the public by not wanting to prevent crime.

Funeral provider Dignity has swung to a full-year loss despite the pandemic sending Britain's annual death toll soaring to its highest level for more than 100 years.

Police are hunting two suspects over a hit-and-run crash that left a man dead in the Black Country.

Work on a multi-million pound West Midlands Police “super-station” in the Black Country could start later this year, police chiefs have revealed.

Councillors have been "playing politics" over calls for thousands of homes to be built on Shropshire green belt, it has been claimed.

A council tenant has been ordered to leave her Black Country home after complaints of serious anti-social behaviour and suspected criminal activity.

A mother and daughter were able to hold each other’s hands for the first time in year at a Staffordshire care home.

A charity has marked a year since it launched an action campaign to help people during lockdown – even winning Royal support along the way.

Bike riders across the region are being asked to take to the virtual roads for a good cause.

The number of apprenticeships in the West Midlands has dropped to the lowest level since a Government shake-up of the system, figures show.

The newly-appointed chief executive officer of Headway Black Country hopes to see an expansion of services and a £350,000 extension of the organisation's headquarters in Dudley.

A mother-of-three is pounding the pavements to help two busking fundraisers raise money for charity.

Mother-of-three Anna Eeles is pounding the pavements to help two busking fundraisers raise money for charity.

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.

A manor house dating back to the late 16th century could be transformed into a luxury 5* hotel and spa under plans.

The first Tiny Forest in the Black Country is being planted in Wolverhampton to help residents connect with nature and protect their environment for the future.

A family which experienced deep loss of its own has opened a new undertakers' service in Walsall to help others going through bereavement.

A man lied to police about changing his clothes after allegedly killing his fiancée, a trial heard.

A financial company is sponsoring an artistic tribute to NHS staff and other key workers which will appear on the city's streets this summer.

An inquest into the death of a pedestrian killed in a hit-and-run in Tipton has been opened and adjourned.

Police are appealing for information after a series of catalytic converter thefts in South Staffordshire.

Police are appealing for help in tracing a man from South Staffordshire who has been missing for nearly a month.

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

Targeted testing will be carried out after a case of the South African variant of coronavirus was identified on the border of Oldbury and Tipton.

West Midlands Police made six arrests, seized four cars and recovered four knives in the space of two hours on a busy night patrol.

Two of the most famous Jaguar E-Types in the world have taken part in a special birthday run through Bridgnorth to commemorate their first public appearance 60 years ago.

Plans to turn a dilapidated former swimming pool in Wolverhampton into a major conference, wedding and banqueting centre have been unveiled.

Hard-working council staff in Walsall are getting pay rises as a thank you for their efforts during the Covid pandemic.

Wolverhampton's historic Beatties store and car park will be transformed into more than 300 flats after the plans were backed by council chiefs.

Worried residents have been reassured investigations are well underway into a brutal attack on two Walsall Bangladeshi brothers.

A thief in a van dumped tyres at a Dudley hotel – before stealing more than a dozen items of garden furniture.

A teenager has been sentenced after being found guilty of unlawfully wounding a 17-year-old in the neck in Walsall town centre.

Projects to improve bus services in rural areas of the West Midlands are set to benefit from over £2 million, as the Government unveils the most ambitious shake-up of the bus sector in a generation.

Ministers have been urged to review lockdown laws governing public gatherings following an outcry over the policing of a vigil for murdered Sarah Everard.

A new McDonald’s restaurant is to open in Staffordshire in two weeks time, creating 100 jobs.

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

Two teenagers were arrested after allegedly being found in possession of a dangerous knife.

A Black Country shop owner has been forced to fork out more than £8,000 after rats were found in his off licence.

The mystery of the unclaimed £1 million EuroMillions prize in the West Midlands remains unsolved with just hours to go before the deadline.

Patients are being urged to keep an eye on their blood pressure amid concerns over a rise in hypertension cases as regular checks have become generally unavailable during the last year.

A teenager who threatened a woman with a gun as he stole her car has been jailed for four years.

West Midlands Police will be given new stop and search powers as part of a crackdown on knife crime.

A Wolverhampton hotel has opened its doors as a Nightingale court this week as part of plans to tackle a backlog of cases.

A Walsall pub which became a hotbed of trouble and left nearby residents “living in fear” has lost its licence despite the “difficult” former boss being kicked out.

A partnership between three councils is helping to keep a business park extension on schedule.

Labour MPs in the Black Country have hit out at the NHS Test and Trace scheme after it was heavily criticised by a parliamentary watchdog.

The region's biggest vaccination hub has opened at a shopping centre with the capacity to treat 5,000 people a day.

More than 12,000 men across the West Midlands reported they had been victims of domestic abuse last year, new figures show.

LCP, the national commercial property and investment company, has just one vacant unit available at its speculative development within its flagship Black Country business estate.

A councillor whose father died of Covid-19 has paid tribute and urged others to follow government guidelines to avoid suffering a similar “horrible loss”.

Council bosses say they will create a safer environment for pedestrians in Wolverhampton city centre with new measures ahead of shops and other businesses reopening after lockdown.

Police officers could be placed in schools as part of plans to clamp down on violent crime in the region.

A mobile unit offering free rapid testing for coronavirus will be located in Wednesfield this week.

A new vodka brand, launched at the start of the pandemic, has added MOBO award-winning rapper MIST to its growing list of celebrity influencers.

The West Midlands saw 1,468 chain stores close permanently last year at retail locations.

Dame Julie Walters is backing a petition calling on the Government to deliver on its election promise to double funding for dementia research.

A singer-songwriter from South Staffordshire has written a song with her friend in memory of Captain Sir Tom Moore.

A singer from Staffordshire has shot to fame after his first single attracted more than 21,000 streams on Spotify.

The West Midlands can play a key role in the UK's bid to become a world leader in the gaming sector, the Universities Minister has said.

An online event has been organised to help people fill in their census form.

A school has won a prestigious award for the exceptional treatment of students’ wellbeing.

It wasn't the holiday Michael Hardman and his mates had planned. But when their week-long drinking session in Ireland began to go awry, they knew they had to do something.

A teenager was stabbed outside a Black Country hospital after being chased by a group of males.

Almost £2.4 million will be handed out to councils in the Black Country and Staffordshire to help families most in need over Easter.

Hednesford is to get a new community hub, café and garden under new plans.

A jury has retired to deliberate in the trial of a teenager accused of stabbing a then-17-year-old in the neck in Walsall.

A man has admitted stabbing an old school friend to death at his Birmingham home.

Police have launched an investigation after an alleged kidnapping in Sutton Coldfield.

A new road safety campaign is asking cyclists and motorists in Staffordshire to look out for each other.

Over the past year thousands of office staff have found themselves doing their jobs remotely for the first time.

The biggest ever shake-up of Britain's bus network will see new routes and bus lanes and caps on ticket prices, the Prime Minister has announced.

Boris Johnson took the weight off his feet as he chatted with bus drivers during a visit to the West Midlands.

An estate agents has collapsed with debts of £1.3 million, leaving tenants and landlords out of pocket.

Fascinating details about the early life of football hero Duncan Edwards are to go on show.

Police say they were rammed by a driver in a stolen car in the Black Country.

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

The Department for Transport is to set up a second headquarters in Birmingham creating hundreds of jobs, ministers have announced.

Commuters returning to Wolverhampton city centre following lockdown have been warned they will face a familiar irritation – roadworks.

A teenage girl and a young man remain in a critical condition after a car hit a wall in the Black Country.

A teenager was shot in the West Midlands yesterday in what police have called 'a shocking act of violence'.

“The health service and police are always there for people in their ultimate time of need and it’s a privilege to do both roles.”

An Indian rhino at West Midland Safari Park is preparing to show off her six-month-old calf to the public when the gates reopen next month.

A total of 20,000 new trees will be planted across Wolverhampton after chiefs secured a cash boost of almost £130,000 from a charity.

Building has begun on the site of a derelict Black Country steelworks in Walsall, which will transform the site into a new 252-home community.

Art teacher Stuart Mayor has gained top marks from his students for his portrait of Wolverhampton Wanderers manager and head coach Nuno Espirito Santo.

A special artwork has left visitors to a Black Country park clinging to it with delight.