Midlands cricket is in mourning following the death of Penkridge first team captain Laeq Chishti aged just 37.

The DNA of a man who died after a brutal beating in a park was found on trainers worn by one of his alleged attackers, a murder trial heard.

The Office for National Statistics said inflation jumped from 2% in July to 3.2% in August – the highest since March 2012.

The company behind the department store and supermarket Waitrose also revealed it will hire 500 permanent workers at its distribution hubs.

A serving West Midlands Police officer has admitted having a relationship with a vulnerable domestic abuse victim.

The 10-day manhunt for a kidnap and stabbing suspect has ended after armed police arrested a man in the West Midlands.

A road traffic island featuring a landmark 40ft statue of a miner has been declared "UK Roundabout of the Year".

A council's controversial plan to close a care home is set to be examined by scrutiny chiefs.

New proposals have been unveiled for a hotel and ground floor retail space in Sutton Coldfield town centre.

Concerns about smart motorways follow several fatal accidents involving stationary vehicles being hit from behind.

The Restaurant Group chief executive Andy Hornby warned that the firm is tackling ‘labour availability and supply chain’ issues.

Chief scientific adviser urges ministers to react swiftly.

The policy breaks Mr Johnson’s 2019 election manifesto commitment not to raise taxes.

The company has agreed to end the doubling of ground rents every 10 to 15 years following an investigation by the Competition and Markets Authority.

Car dealerships group Pendragon has seen first-half profit exceed its initial expectations as its online business performed strongly during the pandemic-related lockdowns.

The Government has said it will keep 32 Nightingale courts open until the end of next March in a bid to ease the backlog in cases.

A poppy picked by the brother of a First World War soldier from the spot where he died is now going up for auction.

The inaugural event at Knebworth House recognises dogs and handlers from forces across the UK for their heroic acts.

Future spending on infrastructure in the West Midlands is set to be one of the lowest levels in the country when HS2 is excluded, according to a new report.

Passengers in the Black Country with new jobs are being urged to snap up free travel passes on the bus, tram and train.

A new book focussing on "the scandal of how state schools throughout England have been given away to corporate trusts" has been launched by a city author.

Booster vaccines will be offered to millions of people from next week alongside annual flu jabs.

The Commonwealth Games next year can play a key role in helping the economic recovery of the West Midlands, business leaders have been told.

More than 30 new jobs will be created at “world-renowned” brick making firm when it undergoes a major expansion.

Police in Rugeley have launched an appeal following the disappearance of a woman from the town.

Firefighters have returned to the site of last week's major blaze in Kidderminster after another fire broke out at the site.

A new traffic management system outside The Hawthorns is being "looked at" after fans faced major delays getting to the ground.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid set out the Government’s approach to managing coronavirus in the autumn and winter.

Chief scientific adviser Sir Patrick Vallance said vaccination levels were key to tackling the virus over winter.

Shares in the company jumped to a record high on Tuesday morning.

A further nine deaths have been confirmed in the region's hospitals in the latest figures released by NHS England.

Tributes have been paid to one of the last Second World War paratrooper veterans from the Black Country who has died aged 95.

A police dog tracked two suspects for half a mile after a man was stabbed repeatedly in an early-hours fight.

A group campaigning against housing development on green belt land in Kingswinford and Wall Heath has organised a public meeting.

A police operation to snare sex offenders has seen more than 200 people jailed.

An alleged people smuggler has been charged after being detained in an early-morning raid.

The Job Retention Scheme will be closed on September 30.

The number of people out of work across the region increased in the three months to the end of July, new figures show.

Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the NHS would contact all those who are eligible for a booster dose.

The Labour leader made the pledge in a speech to the Trades Union Congress.

It is too soon to say whether the current wave has peaked.

The vaccines will be rolled out shortly, starting with care homes and older age groups.

A former Boots chemist which has been empty for more than a year looks set to be turned into a bookmakers.

Residents have been asked to comment on a planning proposal to regenerate a vacant site in Dudley town centre into shops for financial and professional services.

A Turkish restaurant has been fined £12,000 after food hygiene officials found an ‘infestation of cockroaches throughout the premises’.

Conservative councillors have been accused of dishonesty for supporting a major housing plan for the Black Country while campaigning to save the green belt.

Plans for a slot machine business in a town centre have been thrown out due to fears some people would gamble away what little money they have.

Only one person has been prosecuted and 162 fines issued despite more than 31,000 fly-tipping incidents being recorded in Sandwell in the last three years.

A 150-home development on antisocial behaviour-plagued Bloxwich land is set to bring an end to years of “hell” for residents.

Care home workers in the Black Country and Staffordshire have been urged to get their Covid-19 before new Government rules are enforced.

A young man has died after a crash on a main road between Stourbridge and Kidderminster.

Staff at a Walsall primary school are considering strike action amid a row over bullying and safeguarding.

A woman was seriously injured in a stabbing at a house in the Black Country.

A crane hire specialist that has lifted African elephants into their new homes and rollercoasters into place has completed a five-year £10 million investment programme by adopting new safety technology to protect its staff and customers.

A total £50 million is set to be spent on the redevelopment of Snow Hill station as part of a raft of transport spending across the region, it has been revealed.

The line-up for a major new music festival in Wolverhampton has been announced after the event was postponed due to Covid-19.

The M6 was brought to a standstill due to a police incident involving a vulnerable person on a bridge.

A widower has hosted his fifth annual charity hike across the Staffordshire countryside in memory of his late wife.

A nightclub boss has welcomed the government's decision to suspend plans to introduce coronavirus vaccine passports.

All Electric Garages will create up to 15 jobs after opening its second Hyundai dealership in the West Midlands.

A car was shunted into a neighbour's house after an early-hours row where items were thrown out of a window.

A group of parish councillors and clerks including those from Eccleshall visited the Birmingham Institute of Forest Research at Norbury for a tour.

Whittington villagers have answered a call to help Afghan refugees by donating hundreds of essential items.

The British Business Bank’s Start Up Loans programme has invested over £63 million in the West Midlands.

Around three million children are set to be eligible for the jab.

The Health Secretary said 12 to 15-year-olds in England will be offered a first dose of the Pfizer vaccine.

Just over half of local areas have recorded a week-on-week rise in rates.

The M6 was brought to a standstill due to a police incident involving a vulnerable person.

The Sheriff of Lichfield completed the traditional Sheriff's Ride around the city in a horse-drawn carriage.

Asylum seekers have been “dumped” in a Wolverhampton hotel against the wishes of the council.

Fans of everything on four wheels gathered in Lichfield's Beacon Park at the weekend to enjoy the annual Cars in the Park event.

A Vietnamese national suspected of being a high-ranking member of a people-smuggling network has been arrested during a National Crime Agency raid in the West Midlands.

A man is in a coma after being attacked with a machete in Wolverhampton.

Five people were treated by paramedics after violence erupted outside The Hawthorns between West Brom and Millwall fans.

Aspiring stars of the stage are being invited to join the cast of Stafford’s Gatehouse Theatre's record-breaking panto Snow White.

Thousands of Walsall residents will be among the first to participate in the world’s largest trial of a revolutionary new blood test.

A further 11 deaths have been confirmed in the region's hospitals in the latest figures released by NHS England.

The ONS published the figures for the first seven months of this year.

A woman and a 15-year-old boy have been released under investigation after a man was stabbed in the Black Country.

A host of sports and activities will be available to try at Lichfield Community Games in Beacon Park this weekend (Saturday, September 18 and Sunday, September 19).

Police are searching for supporters involved in violence outside The Hawthorns after footage emerged of a brawl involving West Brom and Millwall fans.

Police say there has been no increase in crime or anti-social behaviour since asylum seekers moved into a city hotel.

The grocer said it will keep all of its supermarket, convenience stores and petrol filling stations shut as a ‘thank you’ to staff.

The fourth round of the Contracts For Difference scheme will double the amount of renewable energy generated from the previous funding tranche.

Around three million children could become eligible for vaccination if the programme is given the green light.

A major blaze at a banqueting centre and wedding venue in Wolverhampton is thought to have been started accidentally, fire investigators have said.

A monument to a notable battle in Sikh history has finally been unveiled after 40 years of work.

A pedestrian killed when she was hit by a Land Rover was a 92-year-old woman, police have confirmed.

There were tunes, songs, dances and laughter aplenty as a musical touch took over the Stourbridge Comedy Festival.

People have flocked to Himley Hall and Park for the return of a popular music and comedy festival which celebrates the best of the Black Country.

Hundreds of runners took to the streets in the Black Country as part of a popular road run to help raise money for numerous charities.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson will set out his winter Covid-19 plan on Tuesday on how the country can learn to live with the virus.

Around 70 firefighters have been tackling a major fire at a banqueting centre and wedding venue near a main road in Wolverhampton.