But overall grocery sales dropped compared with a year ago at the height of the pandemic, according to Kantar

The level of borrowing last month hit £31.7 billion – down £15.6 billion on the same month a year ago.

Sales are up 10% for infrastructure group Hill & Smith so far this year.

Himley Hall and Park will close briefly next month – for work to repair the driveway to take place.

One new coronavirus death has been confirmed in the region, in the latest figures released by NHS England.

A runner has completed his challenge of running 5km every day for a year to raise funds for the hospice which cared for his mother 10 years ago.

The virus appears to have taken a ghastly toll in the country’s vast rural areas, where a majority of the people live and where healthcare is limited.

Worries about public safety while many Japanese remain unvaccinated have prompted growing protests and calls for cancelling the Games.

The warnings could affect insurance rates and whether Olympic athletes and other participants decide to join the Tokyo Games, which begin on July 23.

Various stories on coronavirus and the weather feature in Tuesday’s papers.

Ministers have been urged to clarify travel restrictions in areas of England worst affected by the Indian variant.

The figures are based on the number of people who have tested positive for Covid-19 in either a lab-reported or rapid lateral flow test.

Communities Secretary Robert Jenrick and Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden have urged all UK councils to give the weekly fun runs permission to resume.

Mental health trust leaders said the demand for services has increased compared to six months ago.

Welsh chief medical officer Dr Frank Atherton said people should be ‘worried’ about the resurgence of coronavirus in the UK.

Officials said the variant was spreading fastest in areas including Bolton, Leicester, Kirklees and the London borough of Hounslow.

Representatives from across the Armed Forces have honoured the contribution and outstanding support they have received from the Olbdbury-based Richardson family over many years with the award of a special citation.

A golf academy targeted by thieves who stole thousands of pounds worth of astroturf says police have told them they will call to see them "on Friday".

Police are investigating after a man was found dead at a house in Walsall.

Severe restrictions on the movement of prisoners which drew criticism from campaigners have now been eased for the majority of inmates.

They brightened up dark autumn nights for tens of thousands of people.

From vaccines and foreign travel to hugs and pubs - we want to hear how you're feeling about coronavirus in the UK.

A young man alleged to have carried out a "sustained" attack with a sword did so with the intention of causing serious injury or death, a jury has heard.

A cafe with a difference in the Black Country has marked its first weekend opening with a day of fun and magic.

An MP has called for more bobbies on the beat after over 80 per cent of people responding to a crime survey said police in their area were "invisible".

The Queen of the Black Country Doreen Tipton is helping promote a song called Working Class Heroes – which pays tribute to the women chain-makers and nail-makers who eventually fought for the right to a living wage.

More electric car charging points will be installed across the West Midlands as part of a £300 million investment.

A bell that once formed part of the clock tower at King George V Primary School at West Bromwich is to go on display as an historical artefact.

A minister has pledged to raise concerns over the environmental damage caused by HS2 with the firm responsible for the controversial line.

Former factory worker Mabel Daniels celebrated her 100th birthday in style with a letter from the Queen and a surprise party with close family and friends at Ashley Court Care Home in Wolverhampton.

A Wolverhampton school has had a special visit from an author to highlight the importance of looking after young people's wellbeing.

Footage has been released of a dramatic high-speed police chase along some of the busiest streets of the Black Country.

A dangerous driver who reached speeds of more than 100mph while trying to escape police has been jailed for 16 months.

A woman who went missing after going to ride her horse to stables near Wyre Forest has been found safe and well.

Jurors are hearing a fourth week of evidence about the death of former Aston Villa forward Dalian Atkinson.

A woman has been arrested after a pub doorman was racially abused and spat at outside a Wetherspoon bar.

Police are appealing for information after two men were reported to be acting suspiciously in and around a street in Kidderminster.

A dog groomer from Shifnal is back doing the job she loves after refusing to let cancer prevent her catering to her canine customers.

A specialist producer of ‘High Performance’ nickel alloys is celebrating a big birthday in style by targeting international expansion and a £1m investment drive.

A father-of-two suffered "years of pain" following a series of botched operations at a Black Country hospital, prompting a review into treatment.

Liberty Steel is to sell two plants across the West Midlands as part of a major restructure.

A teenage motorcyclist was taken to hospital after a crash with a car in Kingswinford.

A new stage production of The Cher Show will play at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre next year.

People aged 32 and over are now able to book their Covid-19 vaccine jab – as health bosses confirmed new variants of concern are present in Wolverhampton.

A property developer from West Bromwich wants to buy up a shopping centre to bring new life to his home town.

A dedicated young student has saddled up for an epic bike ride to raise hundreds of pounds for victims of climate disasters around the globe.

The figure was more than double the proportion who reported the same in March, the ONS said.

A mobile coronavirus rapid testing unit will remain at New Cross Hospital over the next few weeks.

Government investment will help put Wolverhampton at the "forefront of excellence" in housebuilding and ease pressure on the green belt, an MP has said.

A cleaner who fleeced a 93-year-old blind dementia sufferer out of over £200,000 has found herself back behind bars after failing to repay the stolen money.

A community consultation is under way on discount supermarket chain Aldi's £5m proposal for a new store in Sutton Coldfield.

Watch out, the police are about. That's the message after it was revealed thousands of drivers were caught breaking the law on motorways by officers hidden in lorry cabs over the last six years.

The history of Sutton Coldfield's oldest surviving church has been brought to life in a book.

A developer has started construction on an £11.1m industrial development in Sutton Coldfield.

A woman was sexually assaulted in Wyre Forest and police are appealing for witnesses.

A supporter has been arrested after reportedly racially abusing Rio Ferdinand at Sunday's match against Manchester United.

The family of a young man who was stabbed to death in a Stourbridge nightclub insist they will not give up on their fight to change the law around jury verdicts, despite resistance from ministers.

Fly-tippers dumping waste across the West Midlands are largely going unpunished, new figures reveal.

Nearly 20,000 incidents of fly-tipping happen in England every week.

Plans to build a 65ft tall phone mast just yards from a Black Country bus and train station have been announced.

There has been a sharp rise in demand for family homes across the West Midlands fuelled by pupils returning to school.

Completion of a multi-million-pound road project to ease congestion in Stafford town centre and lay the foundations for future growth is well on schedule for later this year.

A primary school is one of eight in Wolverhampton acting as a collection point for free rapid coronavirus test kits.

Plans have been submitted for a new special school that will "improve the lives" of children for years to come.

Nuno Espirito Santo has bid his final farewell to Wolves fans and insists he is thankful for their support as he departs as manager.

Wolves fans were delighted to finally be returning to the Molineux for a home game – after more than a year away due to the Covid pandemic.

Wolves fans have made their return to Molineux for the first time in over a year, as supporters continued their return to grounds on the final day of the Premier League season.

Under the Government’s road map, the final stage of the unlocking is due to take place on June 21 at the earliest.

The app also enables people to book GP appointments and order repeat prescriptions.

Aston Villa have welcomed fans back to Villa Park for the first time in over a year.

Those returning from countries on the Government’s amber list must quarantine at home for 10 days.

Ex-PM Gordon Brown called on Boris Johnson to take the lead at the G7 on agreeing a global plan for burden-sharing.

A man has died after he was hit by a train in Stafford.

A gun and a knife has been recovered and three people arrested after officers stopped a car in Birmingham.

The PM’s former top adviser said the scheme was only abandoned after a warning that it would lead to catastrophe.

The Home Secretary rejected the claim by Dominic Cummings ahead of his appearance this week before MPs.

In total, variants accounted for 1,596 deaths between February 1 to May 18 this year, data showed.

Stafford Borough Council members have agreed to share their chief executive with a neighbouring authority on a temporary basis – despite concerns that he will have to divide his time between the two areas.

Four veteran councillors who have given more than a century of service combined to Cannock Chase are to become honorary alderman and alderwomen.

A trainee solicitor from Rugeley has become Cannock Chase Council’s first female leader – and the youngest person to take charge of the authority.

A new community grant fund is being launched in Lichfield – and £300 is to be put in each councillor’s bank account to distribute to grassroots groups in need.

A Lichfield pub has been given the green light to extend its outdoor drinking area to boost social distancing – but neighbours have not welcomed the move.

A physical meeting in a leisure centre has cost Lichfield District Council around £1,200, it has been revealed.

Two teenagers have been sentenced after they were found guilty of abducting two young children when they stole a car with them inside.

Michael Oates is the new mayor who will serve the people of Tamworth for the next 12 months.

Police are still trying to trace the mother of a newborn baby boy who was found in a canal in Walsall.

A schoolboy walking home was assaulted by two men who pulled up in a car.

A pedestrian was taken to hospital with a serious head injury after he was hit by a car in Birmingham.

A duck has died after being left with horrendous injuries when a group of teenagers repeatedly shot her with a catapult at a lake in Dudley.

Police are appealing for help in tracing a woman who has gone missing from near Wyre Forest.

Covid testing is set to be carried out on bubbles in two schools in Lichfield – after two adult members of a family tested positive for the Indian variant.