Fire chiefs are reminding people of the dangers of open water – after a 16-year-old girl was rescued from the lake at Chasewater Country Park.

Waste giant Biffa has entered into an agreement to acquire the collections business and a number of recycling assets from Viridor Waste Management for £126 million.

Curdworth Primary School pupils are benefitting from an innovative programme designed to support children’s mental health and wellbeing as they settle back into school following lockdown.

A Sutton Coldfield councillor is calling for action over speeding motorists on a stretch of road.

The leader of Dudley Council has unveiled his new-look cabinet team – as he outlined the authority's priorities including regeneration, supporting businesses and boosting tourism.

Calls have been made for the future Sutton Coldfield’s threatened Police Station to be reviewed as a matter of urgency.

Wolverhampton's late-night Safe Haven scheme will return to the city centre this weekend – to help support the further reopening of the hospitality sector.

The high street lender recorded a pre-tax profit of £823 million and said deposits by savers hit £10.6 billion in the past year – a near doubling.

The new Mayor of Dudley has praised the late Duke of Edinburgh for his 'inspirational' support for young people – while announcing a new community fund as part of her charity commitments for the year ahead.

Five people with a combined total of more than 100 years' service on Dudley Council are set to be honoured.

The uptick was driven by continued optimism around future personal finances and the wider UK economy, GfK said.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency says the jab could now be easier to store and more widely available.

The World Health Organisation is leading work to develop a worldwide network of surveillance hubs.

The ONS said sales rose 9.2% in April as non-essential retailers opened their doors again, with strong growth in clothes sales.

Public Health England urged people in affected areas to get their second dose of the vaccine.

An overhaul of ticketing on Britain's railways will help speed up the introduction of an 'Oyster card'-style system in the West Midlands, transport bosses have said.

A Tory MP has hit out at claims that the NHS needs rescuing, saying it had "stood the test of time" throughout the pandemic.

A police investigation has been launched after the body of a baby boy was discovered in a canal at a nature reserve in Walsall.

Extra police officers are being drafted in at night across the region as restrictions continue to ease under the Government's roadmap out of lockdown.

The number of people with dementia in the Black Country and Staffordshire is set to soar in the next 10 years, according to the Alzheimer's Society – which is demanding reform to social care to provide better support.

A grant scheme has enable thousands of workers across a city to access twice-weekly Covid-19 tests.

Good causes have received a cash boost following a charity walk which saw three friends trek from Birmingham to Wolverhampton, raising £10,000.

Birmingham Hippodrome has opened its doors to the public once again with support from Lloyds Bank.

Residents have spoken of their delight after work was completed on a £10,000 community project to revamp a war memorial.

A popular bingo hall has welcomed back customers after seven months of closure due to the pandemic.

A housing organisation in the Black Country has teamed up with an energy company to help save new tenants money on their bills.

Generous staff at an electrical retailer in the Black Country have raised thousands of pounds to help Smile for Joel – in a year which saw donations to the charity plunge.

A health chief has praised a school in the Black Country for its swift response after cases of the Indian variant of Covid-19 were discovered.

Redundancies are planned at bakery company Warburtons' Wednesbury site.

Parts of Wolverhampton city centre were closed off today due to loose cladding on a building.

Former deputy Labour leader Tom Watson has joined five others on a six-week programme to get fit amid coronavirus.

More than £200,000 was allocated to community groups in Sutton Coldfield this year thanks to the Town Council’s Community Grant Scheme.

A new public sector body named Great British Railways will be created.

Labour said ministers ‘need to explain what’s gone wrong’.

Knowing when drugs are likely to stop working could give clinicians more time to prepare for the next step in a person’s treatment.

The number of West Midlands Police officers using Tasers has almost doubled in three years, according to figures released under the Freedom of Information Act.

Weather warnings for wind are in place on Thursday and Friday across parts of England and Wales.

The figures for Monday May 17 follow the first day of opening for many venues in five months.

More civil service roles are set to move to the West Midlands as part of plans to shift government focus out of London.

A policeman accused of murdering Dalian Atkinson told investigators he was “absolutely terrified” and felt his brain had stopped working before he Tasered the ex-footballer to the ground, a court has heard.

A deal for an American private equity and investment firm to buy Birmingham-based regeneration and construction group St Modwen has been agreed.

A new public body is taking over responsibility for Britain’s railways.

An "unattractive and outdated" railway station in Birmingham has been demolished to pave the way for a £30 million redevelopment.

A total of 3,536 people were convicted.

Thousands of lives could be saved in the UK every year if people had the right training and education to ‘stop a bleed’.

No new coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in hospitals in the Black Country, Staffordshire and Birmingham in the latest figures.

More than 49,000 restaurants, pubs and cafes took part in the scheme.

A senior police officer managing the covert operation into Fishmongers’ Hall terrorist Usman Khan wrongly believed that intelligence he was planning an attack was shared with the panel assessing his risk, an inquest jury has heard.

Speaking in a personal capacity about the Indian variant, Professor Andrew Hayward said he was ‘very concerned’.

More than 210,000 Covid-19 vaccination jabs have now been given to people in Wolverhampton as those aged 34 and over become eligible.

Young pirates are expected to descend on Stourport riverside this summer to plunder a new major play attraction.

A new leader of Cannock Chase District Council has been appointed after the Conservatives took control in the last election.

A teenager convicted of kidnapping two young brothers whose family car was stolen as their father dropped off food at a friend's home has been spared jail.

Sandwell Council’s new boss is looking to unite the fractured local Labour group after being elected as leader.

Staffordshire County Council has unveiled its new look cabinet which will "champion" the county and help it bounce back from Covid-19.

A £1.75 million housing development of purpose-built bungalows has reached completion.

Wolverhampton Council's leader has unveiled his new-look cabinet top team – which will be tasked with 'relighting' the city as it emerges from the Covid-19 pandemic.

Crimestoppers is offering a reward of up to £5,000 for information after shots were fired in an attempted murder in Walsall in which a car was also rammed and set alight on a residential street.

A woman was hospitalised with serious injuries having been seriously assaulted in the Black Country.

The pandemic was the leading cause of death in England every month from November 2020 to February 2021.

A hospital ward is to be set up at Stafford Prison as part of a move to ensure more inmates can be treated onsite.

Two men were taken to hospital after a collision in Birmingham – which saw one car roll over.

Business confidence in the West Midlands has hit its highest level ever since a survey of chartered accountants began in 2004.

Children who do more physical activity are likely to have stronger self-control, a study suggests.

The shift to online shopping saw the postal service enjoy huge profits with parcels overtaking letters for the first time in the company’s history.

As things begin to feel more normal, the huge growth in the engineering construction, and engineering industry as a whole, is fuelling demand for skilled workers, creating jobs and pushing up wages.

A Black Country supermarket has donated 10 new laptops to St Michaels CE Primary School.

The Duke of Cambridge, who is left-handed, received the jab in his right arm.

A major exhibition by the renowned British painter Anj Smith is to be staged at The New Art Gallery in Walsall which re-opens its doors this week.

Staff at a community hub, which celebrates ten years this summer, say they are supporting more children than ever, who are facing mental health challenges.

More than £75 million of funding to revitalise high streets and help them bounce back from the pandemic has been confirmed for the West Midlands.

Researchers are studying how our genes can influence the body’s response to conditions such as Covid-19 and sepsis.

Union leaders have expressed dismay after plans aimed at saving GKN Automotive's car parts factory in Birmingham from closure were rejected.

EU ambassadors have agreed on measures to allow fully vaccinated visitors in.

The country’s health ministry on Wednesday reported 4,529 deaths in the last 24 hours.

Tensions with Democrats are rising over the mask issue as GOP politicians risk fines by refusing to wear masks.

Spain is focusing promotional campaigns on its key markets: the UK, France, Germany and other EU countries, which in 2019 made up 75% of visitors.

Popular summer hotspots such as Spain, France, Italy and Greece are among the countries on the list.

Matt Hancock said the number of patients waiting for care is “far larger’ than official figures show.

England’s deputy chief medical officer Professor Jonathan Van-Tam urged caution as people exercise new freedoms in England.

Scientists want people who received their first dose of either Pfizer/BioNTech or AstraZeneca in December or January to sign up.

Leading medical organisations have come together to call on the Government to make sure there is a dedicated mental health support service.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council said that nurses and midwives have left the register because of too much pressure and a negative workplace culture.

The Sutton Trust charity is calling on the Government to put the development and wellbeing of pre-school children at the heart of its recovery plan.

The vaccination programme is branching out to younger age groups.

Moves to combat the Indian coronavirus variant feature among a range of stories on Thursday’s front pages.

People who had had coronavirus were found to be more at risk of ongoing health issues than people in the other groups.

The low-cost airline reported underlying losses of £701 million for the six months to March 31 against £193 million a year ago.

Professor Jonathan Van-Tam said the NHS would ‘turbo-boost’ the jab rate, with 34-year-olds being invited to book a vaccine.

Children and staff at a school in West Bromwich will be tested after two positive cases of the Indian variant of Covid-19 were discovered.

Pubs across the region got a much-needed boost – with figures showing some areas were selling more than 170 pints a minute at the height of reopening.

Pubs and restaurants group Marston's is poised to restart recruitment as its business returns toward normal levels.

Two teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of attempted murder – as detectives continue to investigate a shooting in Walsall.

“I promised I would keep his name alive and that is what I have done.”

The New Art Gallery in Walsall has reopened its doors to the public for the first time in months.

Local leaders have spoken of their disappointment at vandalism in a Black Country town.

Boris Johnson stressed that people should not be going to an amber list country for a holiday.

West Mercia Pc Benjamin Monk denies the murder and manslaughter of the former Premier League star.

‘Being supportive and taking an interest is really good, but stepping into the policing arena is not’, Gareth Morgan said.

Councillors in Stafford have approved a proposal to share a chief executive with neighbouring Cannock Chase District Council.