Labour has been left licking its wounds in the Black Country after the Tories made massive gains across local councils.

Six men have been found guilty of killing a young father who died after playing peacemaker when his friend was attacked outside a Black Country pub.

It has been a week of awful weather – with the rain continuing to pour down across the Black Country and Staffordshire and showing no signs of stopping.

An old Black Country sewage works could finally be redeveloped after scaled down plans for a new housing estate were submitted.

Crack open the bubbly! Put out the bunting! Order new wallpaper!

An artistic director, Olympic medallist, university vice-chancellor and successful businessman have all been named Deputy Lieutenants of the West Midlands.

A Second World War veteran of D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge and Operation Varsity has died one month before his 99th birthday.

This is the mangled wreckage left behind after a fire at a waste collection site.

Staff at a butchers have been getting physical with a 20,000 sit-up challenge to raise much-needed funds for the Midlands Air Ambulance.

Former RAF foreman Gordon Garbett who trained at Cosford on Spitfires and Hurricanes celebrated his centenary in style with a buffet party – and a cake topped with an aeroplane.

As a young National Serviceman on the front line during the Korean War, Alan Causer discovered the advantages and disadvantages of having a Centurion tank as a neighbour.

It was an election like never before - and our photographers were there to capture the action.

Childminder and foster carer Alan Francis has travelled around New York, London and Harrogate in a virtual world as he attempts to complete a 500-mile cycle challenge in aid of Prostate Cancer UK.

The blue surge continued across the Black Country as the Tories made huge gains on all four councils in the local elections.

A scooter rider was left seriously injured when a BMW thought to have run a red light crashed into her then fled the scene.

A senior detective said CCTV footage and the support of a community was vital in tracking down the killers of Reece Cox.

Six friends had gone out to celebrate a birthday, relatively free to enjoy themselves following the first lockdown.

Dudley Council has become the first Black Country authority to announce the results of the 2021 election, and it has been a big night for the Tories.

Once the local election polls close at 10pm it will still be a couple of days until all the council, West Midlands Mayor and West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner results are in.

Boris Johnson said the results are ‘very encouraging’ after early Tory gains in English council elections.

Conservatives have had a superb start to the 2021 elections, winning control of Dudley Council and making huge gains in Wolverhampton and Sandwell.

Jury deliberations in the trial of six men accused of beating to death a young father near a Black Country pub were entering the second day today.

The Conservatives have tightened their grip on Walsall Council, gaining several seats on a stunning day for Boris Johnson and his party.

Sandwell Council has an official opposition for the first time in years after nine Tories were elected at the local elections.

Labour remain in firm control of Wolverhampton Council despite an 'incredible' surge in support for the Conservatives in the city.

Conservative Ben Adams has been elected as the new Staffordshire police, fire and crime commissioner after comfortably disposing of Labour's challenge.

See the full results from across Walsall as the Tories gained five seats and the Lib Dems were wiped out.

The Conservatives gained five but Labour still has three quarters of seats.

Labour retained its vice-like control on Sandwell Council but will have a genuine opposition after the Conservatives gained nine seats.

The win builds on Conservative advances into Labour’s traditional heartlands during the last general election.

The Conservatives have remained in control of Dudley Council after gaining an extra 12 seats in the 2021 election.

Boris Johnson has described the early election results as “very encouraging” after hopes of a Labour revival were dealt a crushing blow when the Conservatives won the Hartlepool by-election.

Former seamstress and window dresser Annie Fellows believes "you should always look your best" and celebrated her centenary in style with relatives, staff and residents at Oldbury.

A mass vaccination centre at the Black Country Living Museum will only be giving second doses as the programme moves into its second phase.

A woman is on trial accused of helping to smuggle drugs and mobile phones into Shropshire's prison for her partner.

The JCVI said under-40s will be offered a different vaccine after the MHRA reported new figures on blood clots last week.

The owner of the NEC Group has made a £1.2 billion bid to buy one of the region’s biggest development and regeneration companies.

Dalian Atkinson went to the ground “like a ton of bricks” when he was Tasered, moments before he was kicked by a police constable, an eyewitness has told a murder trial jury.

One new coronavirus death has been confirmed in the Black Country and Birmingham.

The head of the programme Patricia Donnelly said such logistical challenges were inevitable.

The Duchess of Cambridge launched her Hold Still photographic project last year to encourage the nation to document life under lockdown.

The family of a student who died aged 17 have paid tribute to him, describing him as a 'caring, selfless and thoughtful' young man.

Private homes were the only setting to record excess deaths in every month of 2020 since February.

A probable case of an Indian variant of Covid-19 has been found in the Black Country.

A baby boy who was abandoned in a Birmingham park has been discharged from hospital with foster carers now looking after him.

The latest statistics show the area had 95 cases per 100,000 people over the seven days to May 4.

Maternity Action is calling on the Government to review vaccine booking procedures.

Pet owners whose dogs suffer joint stiffness are being sought for a study at a Shropshire university aiming to discover if controlled and therapeutic exercise routines can help manage their pain more effectively.

Yorkshire and the Humber had the highest proportion of people of any region in England likely to test positive.

The average customer waited four minutes and nine seconds to get through in 2020, an increase of one minute and 59 seconds on 2019.

Belly Mujinga died a year ago after an incident at London’s Victoria station.

The Government will soon announce which destinations holidaymakers from England can visit from May 17 without needing to quarantine on their return.

Cameras will measure vehicle and pedestrian activity in a city centre as part of work to deliver a masterplan.

The NHS’ most prolific Covid-19 plasma donor has returned to the hospital where he was treated with a drawing to thank Intensive Care Unit staff for their care.

A new micropub could open in a Stafford town centre shop – but objectors have raised concerns about the venue opening in an area “heavily populated with licensed premises”.

A busy Black Country road was shut after a fire started at a refuse collection plant on a nearby industrial site.

The closely followed IHS Markit/CIPS Purchasing Managers’ Index recorded a score of 61.6 in April.

Up to April 28, the MHRA in the UK had received 242 reports of blood clots accompanied by low blood platelet count, all in people who had AstraZeneca.

Plus fours, knickerbockers and flat caps were the order of the day as a Sandwell golf club celebrated a special birthday.

The boss of Acorns Hospice in the West Midlands has described how he cast his ballot in a car boot after the church warden opening his polling station “overslept apparently”.

Luis Gallego, boss of IAG, said airlines were ready to fly but Government action was needed to make it happen.

The move will see the charge doubled from 5p and will extend to all stores, including corner shops.

The travel list is being published on Friday.

Air fares to Portugal have soared ahead of the travel green list’s publication.

Experts stressed the need to provide poorer nations with Covid-19 vaccines.

It is thought the designation will be changed on Friday, although cases remain relatively low.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson is expected to make the announcement on Monday, according to the Telegraph.

The Jersey fishing dispute and upbeat news on the economy are among the main stories in Friday’s national papers.

Dozens of cancer patients at hospital trusts in the Black Country and Staffordshire had been waiting longer than two months for treatment in February, new figures show.

Waiting times for cancer treatment reveal the "catastrophic impact" of the coronavirus pandemic, a charity has said.

A man who died outside a bar in Walsall crouched down after a man "lunged forward" with something in his right hand, a jury has been told.

Two solicitors from a firm based in Wolverhampton are facing disciplinary action in connection with an allegedly fraudulent "quick sale" property scheme.

A trade union has raised concerns about a hospital-based company breaching Covid-19 guidelines.

Hospital bosses have raised concerns that younger people are refusing Covid vaccines due to fears they could cause infertility.

Fresh fears have been raised that hundreds of spaces in a town’s main car park could be lost after it was bought by developers in a seven-figure deal.

An eight-year-old boy has helped raise more than £1,000 for charity – after he was inspired by Captain Tom.

The 'incredible' work of NHS staff and volunteers in delivering a successful vaccination programme at Royal Sutton Coldfield Town Hall has been hailed.

A new dawn is coming for a community church as it prepares to reopen its newly renovated doors to the public.

A permanent memorial to women’s cricket pioneer Rachael Heyhoe Flint has been planned for Lord's.

Unions representing musicians, theatre workers and actors, in Birmingham have, in an open letter to the leader of Birmingham City Council, pressed for delay of a year in the introduction of Birmingham’s Clean Air Zone and for a support scheme for t...

Volunteers are raising money to send vital oxygen supplies to India amid the growing Covid crisis in the country.

A charity’s much-loved narrowboat has been given a facelift thanks to the generosity of former Goodyear workers.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have thanked royal fans for their support over the past two years.

Two men have been arrested after officers uncovered a large drugs grow.

A driver who killed a passenger after jumping a red light in Birmingham has been jailed.

A third man has been charged over the murder of Bashir Mohamed in Birmingham.

Many holidaymakers hope the country will be on the Government’s green list when it is revealed on Friday.

Automotive components group Gestamp more than tripled its net profit up to £44.2 million in the first three months of this year.

Aston Villa have offered up Villa Park to host the Champions League final, reports suggest.

James Paul Davis appeared at Wolverhampton Crown Court a month after the collision that killed two-week-old Ciaran Leigh Morris in Brownhills High Street

Voters across the region are heading to the polls for the biggest set of elections in half a century.

There was an early-morning ‘sea of red lights and flares’ as boats gathered at the port of St Helier.

Around 60 French fishing boats gathered off the island’s main port St Helier early on Thursday to protest against new licences.

People aged 70 and over were in the top four groups on the priority list for vaccines.

A major cannabis farm has been discovered at an industrial site in the Black Country.

Peggy Wright, 83, died after jumping from a window at her home in a bid to escape the fire.

Professor Sharon Peacock said there was no suggestion the virus was mutating to avoid inoculation but it could be years before it was harmless.

Royal Navy ships have been sent to the Channel Island amid a row with France.

Four people have been arrested - including a woman on suspicion of conspiracy to commit murder - after cars were set on fire and a man was shot in a Walsall street.

Three in 10 eligible black adults have not been vaccinated, according to estimates in England.