Pets have been many people’s lifeline during lockdown, providing much-needed companionship.

A Staffordshire market is to be revamped as part of a new five-year vision.

Ecstatic England fans were jumping for joy after the national side beat Germany 2-0 in the quarter finals of the Euro 2020 championship.

Three people were treated by paramedics when a car overturned on the M54.

Arsonists set a derelict pub on fire in Lower Gornal.

Outsourcing group Serco says its underlying trading profit was higher in the first six months of this year than for the first half of 2020.

A planned closure of the M6 at Walsall this weekend has been postponed until next month.

A murder investigation has been launched after a man was found dead at a Black Country industrial estate.

A review has been launched to save the green belt after swathes of land across the region was put at the mercy of developers.

It's the controversial housing plan that has already sparked celebrations, recriminations, petitions, campaigns and intraparty rows.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street says housing planners in the Black Country are not making the most of the available brownfield sites.

Support agencies "failed to anticipate risks" posed to a baby who suffered serious injuries in Wolverhampton, a report has found.

A new Tesco store opened its doors today – replacing a Waitrose that had been trading from the same site for more than 16 years.

Despite global economic uncertainties posed by the coronavirus pandemic, the West Midlands has once again emerged as the UK’s leading location for attracting foreign direct investment (FDI) outside London and the South East.

A post-mortem exam on two best friends killed in a Range Rover revealed they were shot a combined six times and on opposite sides, a murder trial heard.

A Black Country chip shop famed for its orange chips is making plans to expand across the region.

Health chiefs have hailed an "incredible achievement" after nearly 16,000 people were vaccinated in a weekend jabs push.

More than half of Express & Star readers believe vulnerable people abroad should be prioritised for the vaccine ahead of under 18s in the UK.

A couple who who are about to set off on a two-year trip to Malawi in Africa - one of the poorest countries in the world - have received support from The Rotary Club of Cannock.

Works are progressing well at the new Greenwood House Medical Centre in Burntwood.

Parish councillors have complained about the way development cash intended to improve their village was spent.

Rotarians in Walsall are celebrating their 100-year anniversary by taking part in a 4,000-mile virtual challenge and are aiming to reach Chicago.

A Lichfield charity fundraiser has been commended by The Princess Royal for backing an organisation which supports victims of domestic violence across the county.

A trade union leadership candidate has hailed the "unsung heroes of the pandemic" on a visit to Marston’s Brewery.

Maintenance work has been completed on the brakes of England's oldest and steepest inland funicular railway based in Shropshire.

Pop-up vaccination clinics are taking place in Smethwick and West Bromwich this week.

A three-year-old girl allegedly murdered by her mother and her boyfriend was dead before the 999 call was made, a court has heard.

Toy nostalgia is set to take off in Staffordshire thanks to a new initiative at Bishton Hall.

A ‘Dirty Dozen’ military watch which has stood the test of time is coming up for auction in Staffordshire.

The study also called for the installation of at least 2.3 million charging points nationwide before the end of the decade.

Sir Kevan Collins said he had no choice but to quit after the cash committed by ministers fell far short of what was needed.

The Prime Minister said he was shocked at the ‘harassment’ faced by England’s chief medical officer.

Body mapping images of the former footballer’s injuries were shown to the jury.

A police officer who unlawfully killed Dalian Atkinson by tasering him to the ground and kicking him in the head has been jailed for eight years.

Dalian Atkinson's family have criticised a decision not to sack Pc Benjamin Monk five years before he killed the former Villa player - as the officer was jailed for eight years.

“Far from causing offence he would make us laugh at ourselves”, Dalian Atkinson’s sister has said in a moving tribute.

The police officer convicted of killing ex-footballer Dalian Atkinson demonstrated to investigators just days after the fatal incident how he delivered “one kick” to the former sportsman, while he was on the floor.

One new coronavirus death has been confirmed in the region's hospitals – in the latest figures released by NHS England.

Experienced police officer Pc Benjamin Monk said he could not remember several aspects of the night Dalian Atkinson died, including resting his boot on the former sportsman’s head as he lay on the ground.

A new exhibition area to inform and educate people about Sikhism looks set to be created at a Willenhall temple.

The rapid action that saved Denmark star Christian Eriksen's life when he collapsed on the pitch struck a chord with many.

The Department for Education has confirmed that school isolation rules in England could be brought to an end this autumn.

Bilston town centre will move into another council ward under plans to redraw Wolverhampton's political map.

Hundreds of foamy fundraisers descended on Walsall to raise vital funds for a Black Country lifeline.

Matt Hancock "fell short" of the incredibly high standards required as health secretary and was right to resign, the West Midlands Mayor has said.

Warm tributes have been paid to a Sutton Coldfield shopkeeper and community volunteer who passed away last week.

You may have heard of the term HMO and have a rough grasp of what it means.

He stunned audiences around the world when he won Netflix's Blown Away 2 - and now Codsall glassblowing artist Elliot Walker is auctioning off his work to raise money for the NHS.

The leader of Sandwell Council has launched a blistering attack on the company which runs its leisure centres over "fire and rehire" tactics.

The DNA of the alleged accomplice in the shooting of two best friends in a Range Rover was found on bullet cartridge casings inside the car, a jury has heard.

A woman returned home from hospital after suffering a suspected heart attack to find her bungalow had been ransacked.

Cradley Heath-based A Perry, the supplier of hinges and hardware, has strengthened its supply chain with significant investment in a purpose-built manufacturing base in India.

Hospital trusts across the Black Country and Staffordshire were caring for a total of 47 Covid patients ­– as the numbers increased from the previous week and more cases of the Delta variant were reported.

Tory MPs in the region have hailed "deeply honourable" Sajid Javid as the right man to replace Matt Hancock as Health Secretary – who they say "did the right thing" by resigning.

Builders across the West Midlands are experiencing difficulty in getting their hands on many basic materials.

The boss of a builder’s merchants that lost much of its historical records in a blaze is appealing for people to search their attics for invoices, photos or other memorabilia about the company.

Panto Snow White is set to go ahead in aid of Mary Stevens Hospice after being postponed due to Covid.

The old adage goes that it is not the things you do in life, but those that you don't, that you will come to regret.

A Staffordshire landlady says a visit from Wayne Rooney has helped boost her pub's trade during the Euros.

The chief executive of one of the Midlands’ fastest-growing logistics companies is leading a rallying call to government to address the UK’s chronic shortage of HGV drivers.

Former Villa and Wolves striker Marlon Harewood has been named as an official ambassador for Midlands Air Ambulance Charity (MAAC).

An appeal has been launched to help find a teenager who has gone missing from Wolverhampton.

Pupils in Walsall have been cleaning up their local streets during a special litter-picking project aimed at smartening up their neighbourhood.

Police are searching for six men after a town centre fight which saw a man stabbed in the stomach.

Sajid Javid said there was ‘no reason’ to go beyond that date as he made his first Commons appearance as Health Secretary.

The Prime Minister said England was ‘set fair’ to be free of lockdown measures by this date.

A Stafford man has been jailed for 40 months after he was caught dealing class A drugs in the town centre.

JCB has started a fresh recruitment drive for 500 new shop floor employees as demand for its machinery continues to soar.

Sajid Javid is expected to make his first statement on the restrictions on Monday.

An MP in the Black Country will take on a gruelling mountain race in Wales to raise money for two charities.

The outsourcer will continue running around 20% of test and trace centres in England and Northern Ireland for the next 12 months.

The high street stalwart says the reopening of restaurants and cafes failed to dent its sales.

The Prime Minister has been dogged by questions in the wake of the resignation of his health secretary.

The new Health Secretary was speaking during a visit to St Thomas’ Hospital in London.

Experts said a study showed that giving people a third dose increased neutralising antibodies against the Alpha, Beta and Delta variants.

Police are searching for seven youths after a man was set upon by a group in Great Barr.

A man has admitted the manslaughter of a university worker and several linked charges in connection with seven other people injured in a series of knife attack in Birmingham city centre.

Professor Russell Viner said there needs to be a look at the balance between how much measures protect wider society and how much they harm children.

Matt Hancock stood down as health secretary on Saturday after leaked footage showed him in an intimate embrace with Gina Coladangelo.

A Covid-19 vaccine bus will stop at two areas of Wolverhampton this week as part of a bid to boost uptake amid rising virus cases.

Four new coronavirus deaths have been confirmed in the region's hospitals – in the latest figures released by NHS England.

Wolverhampton's rebuilt railway station has been fully opened up to the public again one year later than planned.

More than £20,000 of criminal damage has been caused after almost 50 windows were smashed in a series of incidents across Stone.

Commonwealth Games spectators are set to get travel on public transport in the West Midlands included in the price of their tickets.

The police officer who killed former footballer Dalian Atkinson was previously allowed to keep his job despite being found to have committed gross misconduct, it has been revealed.

Worried residents have launched a battle to stop a 5G mast “twice as high as houses” in Willenhall from being erected near their homes.

A Covid outbreak at a pub has prompted pleas for people who visited last weekend to get tested.

A car used by a fly-tipper to dump rubbish across Walsall has been destroyed as council bosses warned criminals they are coming for their vehicles.

UB40 frontman Duncan Campbell has announced his retirement from music after having a seizure at home earlier this month.

Teenagers may need to be vaccinated to prevent a further Covid-19 outbreak this winter, one expert has suggested.

A Sutton Coldfield school has been saved from closure.

A motorcyclist has died after a collision with a car on one of the Black Country's busiest roads.

The number of children out of school due to Covid-related reasons is increasing in the region – as one Black Country headteacher urged the Government only to close schools as a "last resort".

Hundreds of film fans have headed to the movies while in the comfort of their own cars at Himley Hall.

Plans for 59 homes on a former golf course in Great Barr which have been fiercely contested by more than 100 residents have been approved.

Plans to spend almost £20 million to transform Stafford's high street and town centre are expected to be signed off by council chiefs.

Long-awaited work to redevelop an old McDonald’s restaurant and former pub site in Brownhills is set to start in the autumn.