Ministers are due to sign off the next stage of the road map out of lockdown with shops reopening and pubs serving outdoors from April 12.

A two-week-old baby boy has died after the pram he was in was hit by a car in Brownhills.

A smell of gas was reported to the fire service just hours before an explosion ripped through a house in Walsall, it has been revealed.

More families are slipping into food poverty in the West Midlands, relying on handouts to survive.

“To us, child poverty is any child who doesn’t have enough food to eat and that is just not acceptable.”

A young woman who paid just £5 has won more than £18,500 in a raffle and hopes to buy plane tickets to see her father in America.

The two dogs which escaped and mauled Rowley Regis great-grandmother Lucille Downer to death in her back garden have been put down.

A school crossing patrol officer is preparing to hand over her lollipop sign after two decades of helping children cross safely to school

A rare Beatles photograph signed by John, Paul, George and Ringo 58 years ago for a teenage fan is coming up for auction in Staffordshire.

Queuing for groceries inspired a Wolverhampton artist to paint a striking image which is is set to be displayed in a special exhibition focussing on the events of 2020.

The Conservative candidate to become the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner has pledged to recruit more PCSOs and have them trained to deal with domestic abuse cases.

Fewer power cuts, cleaner energy and the removal of ugly overhead lines. That is the pledge from Western Power Distribution as it draws up its plans for the next five years.

Healthcare professionals at a Staffordshire hospital trust are to benefit from almost £100,000 to develop a state-of-the-art digital hub.

X-ray scanners have been rolled out to three prisons across the West Midlands and Staffordshire to help tackle crime behind bars.

Plans have been revealed for a series of major environmental works ahead of the construction of a new bridge at a Black Country nature reserve.

An appeal has been launched calling for sponsors to come forward to help fund prizes and costs of a horse show set to be held at the South Staffordshire Show Ground in aid of a major mental health charity.

Dr Patrick Roach called on ministers to ‘step in’ when employers refuse to listen to concerns of staff about the pandemic.

Boris Johnson will set out details of the ‘Covid status certification’ scheme amid concerns over ‘vaccine passports’.

An alleged murderer has been arrested after a man died in hospital after being found collapsed on a street in Birmingham.

A man has been arrested on suspicion of assaulting two people after a disorder in Brierley Hill.

A Whitehall source said Netcompany is ‘helping with the technical architecture of a possible app’.

The PM will potentially pave the way for holidays abroad later this year.

A further four coronavirus deaths have been recorded in hospitals in the Black Country and Birmingham.

The family of a great-grandmother who was mauled to death by two escaped dogs in the Black Country have said they will 'miss her dearly'.

More than 200 coronavirus outbreak investigations have been carried out by health chiefs in South Staffordshire, it has been revealed.

Two men injured in a double shooting in Smethwick are in a stable condition, police have said.

An 18-year-old woman shot in the chest in broad daylight in Wolverhampton is in a critical but stable condition, police said today).

A woman is in hospital after being injured in the second shooting in Wolverhampton in six days.

Expatriates make up 70% of the country’s population.

Ministers believe the scheme could enable the safe return of crowds to sporting events, festivals and theatres.

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

A series of trial events are planned as officials look to find a way for venues to reopen without the need for social distancing.

More than 160 motorists have been caught speeding on a main road in South Staffordshire in a crackdown by police.

A Wolverhampton road was flooded and parts of the Black Country were left without water after a pipe burst in the city.

The PM is expected to on Monday outline the Government’s approach for easing restrictions on foreign travel.

In his Easter message, the PM praises Christians for their support to others during the pandemic .

West Brom have confirmed that they have contacted West Midlands Police reporting a number of racist social media posts aimed at Callum Robinson following the club's 5-2 win over Chelsea.

The move comes despite the Italian government’s pledge to prioritise older citizens.

This year’s vigil service started earlier than usual to respect Italy’s 10pm Covid-19 curfew.

Plans for a ‘Covid status certification’ scheme and the possibility of foreign holidays are among the stories splashed across the front pages.

Dr Patrick Roach, general secretary of the NASUWT teaching union, will say teachers must not be ‘coerced into working longer hours’.

Experts said the controversy over the AstraZeneca vaccine has not affected take-up in the UK.

Parts of the UK saw the mercury reach nearly 24C (75.2F) on Wednesday – a balmy high unlikely to be repeated on Easter Sunday.

Cardiff Council said a significant amount of rubbish had been left by ‘large groups of people intent on breaking Covid-19 restrictions’.

Two dogs which mauled an 85-year-old woman to death in Rowley Regis got into her back garden through a hole in the fence, police said today.

Police have issued a photo of a man wanted over a number of alleged offences.

Three coronavirus deaths have been confirmed at hospitals in the Black Country, Birmingham and Staffordshire

The NASUWT teaching union has accused the Education Secretary of failing to address ‘many serious issues’ affecting teachers.

Distraction thieves stole an elderly lady's handbag in broad daylight in Wolverhampton.

Anyone planning an escape from the West Midlands down to Devon or Cornwall might want to take a flask and some sandwiches.

An open day at a new outdoor wedding venue in Staffordshire has had to be cancelled – after it was deemed to contradict current coronavirus legislation.

Two canoeists manged to get to dry land after their craft capsized on the River Severn.

University leaders have unveiled a plan, which would allow higher education to spearhead the UK’s post-Covid recovery and boost economic growth in the West Midlands.

A venue on a key tourist route serving the South West has been ranked the worst in Britain.

UK regulators say they have identified 30 cases of rare blood clot events out of 18.1 million doses of the jab administered.

Professor Linda Bauld of Edinburgh University said all the evidence indicated the jab was safe and effective.

An elderly woman has been mauled to death by two escaped dogs in Rowley Regis.