A shop owner caught with more than 10,000 illegal cigarettes and nearly 1,000 erectile dysfunction tablets has avoided jail.

New aerial photos of a back garden show some of the work done by police hunting for clues on a teenager not seen since 1999.

Several schools could be built in the Black Country and Staffordshire over the next few years to ensure there are enough school places to meet demand.

The busiest secondary schools in the region have been revealed.

A watchdog has described Staffordshire Police's response to missing children as "confused and ineffective."

Youngsters in Wolverhampton have been handed a "bad deal" after some services at The Way Youth Zone were suspended at an "odd" time, a councillor has said.

The funeral of popular Black Country comedian Alan "Aynuk" Smith will take place on Monday, April 25.

A woman has been left seriously injured after being stabbed outside an infant school in what is being treating as an attempted murder.

The football unit 'squad' which oversees Walsall FC games has secured the signing of a new dedicated officer.

A convicted paedophile who posed as a police officer on dating apps and used a fake warrant card to travel for free has been jailed for two years.

Visitors to Ladder for The Black Country partner Juniper Training’s head office wonder if they are seeing double as twin apprentices Hannah and Sophie Keeling greet them.

A £3.2 million retirement complex has been completed in Kinver.

Today the site is occupied by a somewhat nondescript shopping parade, the scars of 1960s redevelopment.

Nearly 50 people from Dudley were welcomed to Parliament by Mike Wood MP.

A West Bromwich shopping centre is holding an Easter Bunny Bakery next week.

A Wolverhampton funeral directors are holding its annual Easter egg appeal for underprivileged children.

Independent crossbench peer Lord Woolley of Woodford asked peers to raise their hands.

Britain joined the United States and the EU in announcing a fresh wave of economic measures against the regime in Moscow.

David Smith, 57, was extradited to the UK on Wednesday and is to appear in court charged with nine offences under the Official Secrets Act.

A section of the M6 Toll was left needing repairs after a lorry collided with the central reservation.

Calorie listings will be cropping up on menus at restaurant chains from Wednesday.

The firm sacked nearly 800 seafarers without notice on March 17.

The Prime Minister said providing cash for the NHS to tackle its waiting lists is the country’s biggest priority.

The evening performance of Bedknobs and Broomsticks had to be paused due to a technical issue earlier this week.

The PM said Western allies will move to impose new sanctions on Moscow following more reports of Russian atrocities.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown said there has to be a ‘clear path’ to bring the Russian leader to justice.

Sir Ed Davey said the Government has shown a ‘tin ear’ when it comes to dealing with the cost-of-living crisis.

The new Future Systems Operator will oversee Britain’s energy system.

Barratt said its improvement works are expected to cost the business between £350 million and £400 million.

Father of the House Sir Peter Bottomley told the PA news agency the House of Lords will take out any clause that privatises the network.

The extension follows some 63 people in the UK, mostly young children, becoming infected with salmonella in an outbreak linked to the treats.

Foreign Secretary Liz Truss said the package showed the Moscow elite cannot wash their hands of atrocities committed on Vladimir Putin’s orders.

Students at Great Wyrley Academy are starting lessons with a full stomach thanks to free breakfasts at the school.

Two brothers are on trial for murder after the gangland drive-by killing of a father of eight four years ago.

Drivers across the Black Country are still encountering problems when trying to get fuel, with one resident checking nearly 30 stations before he managed to fill up.

A mysterious piece of street art has popped up in Wolverhampton leading to some people speculating whether it could be a Banksy.

A man has been charged robbery and possessing an imitation firearm after a spate of raids in the Black Country.

Households across the West Midlands are waiting for a £150 council tax rebate that will be paid in a bid to counteract rising energy bills.

The boss of Shropshire-founded supermarket chain Iceland has described the cost of living crisis as the “single biggest domestic issue” facing Britain today.

A transformation of a prominent Walsall venue into an Indian gastropub has been given the green light.

An historic former pub in a leafy corner of Wolverhampton could be turned into a six-bedroom family home, if plans submitted to the city council get the go-ahead.

Young people have been urged to help reshape the future of The Way Youth Zone ahead of a major relaunch of the Wolverhampton service.

A brand new Lidl superstore is set to be created in Darlaston if plans to transform an empty bingo hall are given the go-ahead.

Defences along the River Severn are set to be examined by the Environment Agency in the wake of this year's serious flooding.

A “nightmare” mountain of rubbish which attracts rats and creates an awful stink in an village near Walsall is so big it can be seen on Google Earth.

Passengers have been urged to travel either side of the Easter bank holiday due to railway services being majorly impacted by upgrade works.

TV foodies saw Wolverhampton amateur chef Johnny out to impress judges John Torode and Greg Wallace.

Two people have been taken to hospital after a crash at a busy junction next to the M6 in the Black Country.

Commuters and businesses will be able to experience the fun of the new electric Carver three-wheeled scooter at Selfridges’ four UK stores, including Bullring, Birmingham, until the end of this month.

A Black Country Night Out returns to Dudley Town Hall this Friday for the first time since comedian Aynuk died.

As the 1.25 percentage point national insurance increase kicks in, ‘awful April’ is being seen as just the start of a string of tough months ahead.

Boris Johnson has issued a direct appeal to Russian people to reject Vladimir Putin’s war.

Just four in 10 believe it is important for Government to focus on domestic drilling or fracking for gas.

A £20,000 reward has been offered in the hunt for the killer of a 41-year-old man in a Birmingham flat.

The M6 was forced to close northbound between junction 12 and junction 13 after a pile-up which left two lorries on their side.

Russian forces attacked a fuel depot and a factory in Ukraine’s Dnipropetrovsk region.

Separately, a driver is dead after crashing a vehicle into the Russian embassy in Bucharest.

A paedophile who was caught with more than 3,000 indecent images and videos of underage boys has been jailed for six years.

The Way Youth Zone is suspending some activities for young people as part of plans for a major relaunch of the service - just one year after the site's royal visit and as the Easter holidays begin.

Bringing Stafford's historic Shire Hall back into use will help regenerate the town and help make it an attractive place to work and live, council chiefs say.

A 12-year-old boy has gone missing from West Bromwich.

Two carjackers are behind bars for almost 15 years after they were caught less than an hour after stealing a car.

Researchers also found microplastics in the deepest section of the lung, which was previously thought to be impossible.

Vehicle sales group Motorpoint saw revenue rise 82 per cent for its latest financial year.

A Rushall businesswoman is celebrating after being named the Best Medical Aesthetics Practitioner in England.

A devoted couple who have helped thousands of disabled children and their parents after helping found charity Newlife are retiring after 30 years.

A new photographic exhibition celebrating local sporting communities has opened up around venues as part of the Birmingham 2022 Festival.

National insurance contributions will increase by 1.25 percentage points on Wednesday to provide extra health funding.

NHS trusts are expected to donate around 20 vehicles to replace those lost in the fighting.

The singer said he hopes he is “worthy” of the captain’s armband.

‘They’re killing us, not as individual human beings, but because we’re Ukrainians,’ said Inna Sovsun.

Car dealerships group Lookers achieved record underlying profits in 2021.

Britain will press for tougher sanctions after President Zelensky accuses Russian forces of committing war crimes.

The filmmaker and Oscar-winning actor said ‘no one on the planet has been tested in leadership’ like Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky.

The brave little Wolves fan whose unadulterated joy at meeting his hero Joao Moutinho touched the hearts of football fans everywhere is now hoping to go to Disneyland.

A former royal marine from Wolverhampton has returned to the UK after delivering tons of food to women, children and refugees in Poland.

Sir Gavin Williamson has warned that Staffordshire's "unique identity and character" will be destroyed by proposed parliamentary boundary changes.

A couple known for their charity efforts across Tipton have celebrated their diamond wedding anniversary.

The Ukrainian president was telling the Security Council about civilian massacres carried out by the Kremlin’s forces

A shop owner has been fined after the venue was shut down when evidence of mice was found during an environmental health inspection.

Laura Heath, who denies the gross negligence manslaughter of her son Hakeem Hussain, is alleged to have used his inhaler to smoke drugs.

Hospital numbers have been rising steadily recently, reflecting the impact of the latest surge of infections driven by the Omicron BA.2 variant.

A "nasty looking knife" and several other blades have been removed from green spaces in Smethwick.

A pub in Cannock has been handed a pub of the year award after beating out fierce local competition.

A Sutton Coldfield baker says he witnessed the 'best of humanity' after residents in the royal town helped raise more than £1,300 through his Bake for Ukraine event.

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street was not invited to an important delegation in Ireland – but a spokesman denied it was a snub.

Plans to build a go-karting track near Cannock have returned to the district council after they were rejected because of concerns over green belt land.

Police are continuing to search the garden of a house in the hunt for a missing boy who disappeared 23 years ago.

A man has been seriously injured after falling from an upper floor at the Bullring shopping centre.

Plans to convert a former student hall of residence into temporary accommodation for asylum seekers have been submitted to Stafford Borough Council.

A day care nursery near Wolverhampton has been told it requires improvement for the second time in three years, following a recent inspection by Ofsted.

Measures have finally been introduced in a small Willenhall road to stop “dangerous” parking that residents say has made their lives a misery.

A patient who was struck by a train after absconding from a mental health hospital had been assessed as a low suicide risk, a doctor has told an inquest.

Disruption for holidaymakers is set to continue with more flights cancelled across the country and long waits for baggage as a result of staff shortages.

A former and a serving police officer have both been charged with hate crime offences after an inquiry into racially offensive images shared on WhatsApp.

A funeral procession will pass by Molineux as part of a send off to a much-loved Wolves fan and devoted father who died aged 53.

Step aside Daniel Craig – there’s only One Direction for 007.

The Ukrainian president is set to speak at the British-convened meeting on Tuesday.

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen said the EU needed to increase pressure on Vladimir Putin after ‘heinous crimes’ around Kyiv.

The Conservative former leader warned that ‘the assault on freedom doesn’t begin and end with Russia’s attack on Ukraine’.