Men were more likely to report an increase in alcohol consumption than women.

Mark Drakeford’s indication of May 17 for reopening indoor service for pubs, restaurants, bars and cafes would align Wales with England’s reopening.

Measures are being eased on different dates across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Dominic Cummings and David Cameron feature prominently across Friday’s front pages.

The restrictions come in response to mounting concern about the number of Covid-19 cases in India and the emergence of a variant of the virus.

Experts want to know more about animal infections.

Changes to restrictions mean Wales will now complete its move to Alert Level 3 by May 3 – three days before the May 6 Senedd election.

The ONS said total retail sales in March beat pre-pandemic levels for the first time – up 1.6% compared with February 2020.

Police are urgently appealing to find the mother of a newborn baby who was found in a community park in Birmingham.

Residents in Staffordshire have been asked for help with identifying a group of fly-tippers.

The Government has spent more on furlough than its entire deficit in the year before the pandemic.

Around 40 are expected to have their convictions overturned.

Priti Patel has said she will back West Midlands Police to go after criminals "in a way that hasn't happened for 10 years".

During a visit to the Black Country the Home Secretary said she was "unapologetic" about deporting foreign offenders "who have committed the most vile crimes to British citizens".

A man accused of murdering a young father could not justify kicking him while he was defenceless on the ground, a trial heard.

A parent has criticised teachers for going on strike at a Black Country school where concerns have been raised about working conditions.

Friends of a teenage moped rider who died in a collision with a car in the Black Country have been informed that tributes in his memory will be allowed to remain in a West Bromwich park.

"We really have to act now."

A Midlands-based journalist is calling for a change in the law to help tackle child abuse in sport.

As England marks St George's Day in lockdown, Mark Andrews explores what we know and what we don't about England's patron saint.

Restaurant owners and operators across the West Midlands are being invited to join the Restaurant Collective.

Lichfield traders have hailed the relaxing of Covid restrictions which has enabled customers to make a return to their premises in person.

A business owner has thanked a Black Country hospital for caring for her poorly son by donating wall art to a children's area.

A production of Shakespeare’s Macbeth will kick start this year's open air theatre programme at Bantock House Museum and Park.

Airline Jet2.com has added more skiing flights for the 2021-2022 season from Birmingham Airport.

A pub licensee is excited to welcome back customers into a Staffordshire pub.

A choir which has raised more than £13,000 with the help of American philanthropist Bill Gates to help prevent polio has been presented with a trophy named in memory of a prominent campaigner.

The amount of therapy for mental health delivered to children in areas of the Black Country and Staffordshire has soared since the start of the pandemic, figures reveal.

A musician is hoping to become a breath of fresh air on the political scene in Sandwell, campaigning for a town he feels is undervalued.

A student has created an alternative narrative about historical racism through glassworks and ceramics.

A long-awaited £100 million transformation of derelict contaminated land to create more than 1,000 jobs looks set to clear another hurdle.

More than a dozen new homes are set to be built on the site of a former community centre, despite objections from neighbours.

Liam Byrne is facing a call for an inquiry over allegations he used parliamentary expenses to fund his mayoral campaign.

A former Sandwell Council cabinet member has become the second senior councillor to quit Labour within two days.

Families and staff have celebrated at Acorns Children's Hospice in Walsall in the glorious sunshine after news the hospice had been saved.

Some 80.4% of eligible staff working at older adult care homes had received the jab by April 18, according to NHS England.

The letter to the Competition and Markets Authority comes after many students have been told to stay away from campus until mid-May at the earliest.

Driving tests resumed in England and Wales on Thursday.

Councils across the Black Country have joined together to seek a new injunction banning car cruising in the region.

Ireland’s Health Minister earlier said the case had been launched over the company’s ‘complete failure’ to meet its contractual agreements.

The country has confirmed 15.9 million cases of infection, the second highest after the United States, and 184,657 deaths.

A major cannabis farm has been discovered at an events centre and wedding venue in the heart of Wolverhampton.

Aquatics Centre will host Commonwealth Games events.

A grandfather has spoken out about the "whole new challenge" of his rehabilitation process a year after he was ventilated with Covid.

A junction of the M6 Toll has been closed along the southbound carriageway today due to an "incident".

A murder investigation has been launched after a man was found fatally wounded in Birmingham this morning.

One coronavirus death has been confirmed at one of the region's hospitals, in the latest figures.

A prisoner who killed a fellow inmate with a single punch has been jailed for more than two years.

The survey of 288 manufacturers found a 38% jump in its reading for business sentiment, representing the greatest uptick since April 1973.

Permanent secretary Sir Tom Scholar told MPs that David Cameron rang him directly on his mobile phone.

Downing Street had initially said there would not be a probe into how the messages were made public.

Office for National Statistics data shows it caused 9.2% of deaths in England and 6.3% in Wales in March.

The young birds were found under a grate in Penkridge.

Jaguar Land Rover's Castle Bromwich factory in Birmingham is having to temporarily stop production due to a shortage of computer chips because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The closing date for Debenhams' Walsall branch has been revealed.

Margaret Keenan – whose face has appeared in media around the world – also praised the ‘incredible’ NHS staff.

Clay bricks and concrete products group Ibstock is making a £60 million investment in production at its two sites in Aldridge as demand for building products soars with the UK recovery from the coronavirus pandemic stepping up.

There was intelligence that Fishmongers’ Hall attacker Usman Khan “might commit an attack” around the time he was released from prison for a terror offence, an inquest jury has heard.

Centre finally opened its doors last week.

The Lichfield Greenhill Bower has been postponed again this year due to Covid but organisers have also been left dismayed by the theft of a trailer containing 150 of their collection buckets.

A new House of Lords report says ‘the future will be hybrid’ and services will need to be ‘provided both remotely and face to face’.

The hiring spree comes only six months after the chain said it would axe 1,300 roles across its 360 UK restaurants.

The scheme will enable holidaymakers to prove they have been vaccinated or recently tested.

Radar technology is the latest tool being used in an effort to convince us that smart motorways are safe.

More than 90 new canalside homes look set to be built on a disused Netherton industrial site.

A controversial plan to build new homes on land in Cradley is set to be approved despite fears it could “ruin a thriving high street”.

West Midlands Ambulance Service has invested in electric vans to add to its fleet.

The new £73 million Sandwell Aquatics Centre is on track for completion next year – as it passed another milestone with the roof being installed.

See the full list of candidates for the Wyre Forest district ahead of the 2021 Worcestershire County Council election.

See the full list of 2021 Sandwell Council election candidates ward by ward.

See the full list of Wolverhampton Council election candidates ward by ward.

The Transport Select Committee said the Government’s report to resume travel did not inspire confidence in the industry or holidaymakers.

See every candidate standing in the 2021 Staffordshire County Council election. Full list of Cannock, Stafford, South Staffordshire and Lichfield seats.

We've done it! Acorns Children's Hospice in Walsall has been saved almost two years after a major appeal to secure its long-term future was launched.

The Rank Group has said it is focusing on the reopening of its venues next month after suffering plummeting sales during lockdown.

A punter is on the verge of being crowned the UK’s top tipster, and with it a prize for £4,000.

Domestic abuse has risen by 39 per cent in Wolverhampton over the past 12 months, a council meeting heard.

A Black Country landmark was illuminated orange as part of an international campaign to show support for a baby girl, who has an aggressive form of cancer.

The Russian leader proposed new incentives to help the economy recover from the pandemic.

The figure raises India’s total past 15.9 million cases since the pandemic began.

Mark Drakeford is fronting a Welsh Government press conference on Friday to detail the easing of Covid-19 restrictions.

Lateral flow tests for pregnant women and their partners are among measures ‘urgently’ recommended by NHS England.

Britons returning to the UK after 4am on Friday will be forced to quarantine in a hotel for 10 days.

Experts have called for more support for vulnerable groups.

The Trussell Trust said food bank use has risen a third in a year.

The England striker has joined forces with the celebrity chef and some famous friends to encourage low-income families to cook more.

Around 723,000 businesses were in ‘significant financial distress’ in the quarter to the end of March following a 15% increase.

Developments in the fight against Covid-19 and a maelstrom over missing Marmite feature on the Thursday front pages.

The majority of families believe their child has fallen behind at school since the first lockdown, a survey suggests.

Transparency International UK said those with political access appeared to be favoured.

Health officials said a single positive case of the variant first identified in South Africa had been found.

Gunmen fired 10 shots at victim.

The pandemic has put the handbrake on driving tests, with more than 7,000 cancelled in the Black Country and Staffordshire last year.

Region rallied round to rescue much-loved hospice.

Hundreds of pounds has been raised for the family of two boys who were taken to hospital after a crash in the Black Country.

A man accused of the murder of Reece Cox said he kicked and punched him "to stop him fighting with everyone".

A city school has begun an appeal for funds to help replace a sandpit left contaminated by vandals.

Blind Dave Heeley is delighted to have a new canine companion by his side after the sadness of losing his old guide dog one Christmas morning.

A Black Country bingo hall has helped to improve the lives of hundreds of people during the coronavirus pandemic by engaging with charities from across the region.

Black Country Skills Factory, supported by Ladder for the Black Country are once again hosting their virtual World of Work weeks with the focus this time on the health and social care sector.