The Office for National Statistics said Government borrowing stood at £22.8 billion in June, down from £28.2 billion a year earlier.

Chief executive of Rekom UK, Peter Marks, said he will ‘bang the drum’ until ‘common sense prevails’.

Countries which had the highest rates of children losing family members included Peru, South Africa, Mexico, Brazil, Colombia, Iran and Russia.

A range of stories are making headlines on Wednesday, including events in the Channel.

The mercury is expected to push 30C (86F) again on Wednesday.

The company said parcel volumes have fallen when compared with the height of the first lockdown but remain ahead of pre-pandemic levels.

British Meat Processors Association chief executive Nick Allen criticised ‘confusing messages’ from the Government.

Beat the Street Wolverhampton is officially underway – and residents are being encouraged to join in the unique interactive walking, cycling and rolling game.

Police and farmers joined forces to help corral a cow which wandered onto the M6 in Staffordshire after “idiots" forced open a farmer’s gate.

West Midlands Police has given itself a "poor" rating after failing to hit its target for non-emergency calls.

A Government minister said football fans in the West Midlands should "use their own judgment" on wearing masks at matches when the new season starts.

Domestic violence cases could be lost due to chronic delays in the country's courts system, the Chief Constable of West Midlands Police has warned.

The recent heatwave has seen many people get out and about to enjoy the hot weather and bask in the sunshine.

Dudley's sprawling new university park will enable people to receive a top quality education without being "saddled with huge debts", Lord Austin has said.

Mission Critical, an exhibition of thought-provoking photography telling the stories of some of Midlands Air Ambulance Charity’s most critically ill and injured former patients, officially launches on Friday.

Tributes have been made to a Wolverhampton community pioneer following her death.

Simon Briercliffe remembers how, on moving to the Black Country a decade ago, he struggled to explain to his parents where his new home was.

Black Country police buildings could be saved after a review into a controversial closure programme was launched.

Footballers had a good cause at heart when they took to the pitch for a charity match to fund a new defibrillator.

Words to worry you. With its traditional sternness, TV Licensing sends my annual reminder headed: “You've just days left to renew your TV Licence.” Yes, but that's only because TV Licensing, an organisation regularly criticised for its tactics, d...

Figures taken from Barclays one million small business customers – many of whom are in the West Midlands – reveal that the hospitality and leisure sector is already showing steady signs of bouncing back.

Everything was blooming lovely when members of Hartlebury Women's Institute held their Centenary Garden Party at Hartlebury Castle, near Kidderminster.

A police chief has called for criminal sanctions against social media platforms that allow racism to go unchecked.

The billionaire owner of Wolverhampton's Frasers store helicoptered in to take a tour of his new 60,000 sq ft city centre shop.

Residents in Dudley are being asked to have their say by sharing their experiences of Russells Hall Hospital.

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

More than 17,000 Covid vaccinations were delivered over the big 'walk-in weekend' – in a bid to get as many people vaccinated ahead of 'Freedom Day'.

A special memorial has been unveiled to recognise the work of all the past mayors of the Dudley borough.

Two men have been arrested in connection with a number of distraction burglaries in Kidderminster.

A cinema chain has been fined three quarters of a million pounds after a young father died having become trapped under a chair at Birmingham's Star City complex.

A three-year-old girl suffered multiple "extensive" abdominal and chest injuries including broken ribs and a collapsed lung, an expert told jurors.

A man has been arrested after a worker at New Cross Hospital was stabbed.

A retired nurse was “stabbed to death by her daughter” who was upset after the family home was put up for sale.

"Today is wonderful because we've been able to share it with so many and it couldn't have come at a better time."

A new tree planting scheme in Tamworth Castle Grounds has been hit by vandals.

Walsall's central library has been closed after a number of staff were told to self-isolate.

A driver who caused a crash in the Black Country which left a woman with life-changing head injuries has been jailed for nine months.

Walk-in vaccinations have opened up across Wolverhampton backed by the vaccine bus in a bid to boost the uptake across the city.

Downing Street’s statement came after business minister Paul Scully suggested people and firms should make an ‘informed decision’ about what to do.

A Black Country music venue has postponed its reopening due to rising Covid cases.

Three teenagers have been arrested on suspicion of theft of a vehicle and possession of an offensive weapon.

Business minister Paul Scully said it was up to employers and individuals to decide how to respond to a notification from the NHS Covid-19 app.

Work has started to transform a former industrial site in the Black Country into more than 200 homes.

Young people from across the West Midlands are being invited to perform at events including the Birmingham 2022 Commonwealth Games Opening and Closing Ceremonies.

Some big laughs are promised in Wolverhampton this autumn as a comedy club is back and releasing tickets for its new season.

The Works has reported a narrowed loss for its latest financial year, driven by lower exceptional charges and said that chairman Dean Hoyle will step down in September.

Footage has been released of the moment a police dog chased down a man trying to evade arrest.

The West Midlands has seen three times as many Covid deaths among under 65s compared to the South West, a new report has found.

The announcement came on the day such venues in England were allowed to open for the first time since March last year.

Carpets and flooring group Victoria has reported record revenues and operating profits over the last financial year.

The Met Office has issued its first ever Amber Extreme Heat Warning as large areas of the UK - including the West Midlands, Shropshire and Mid Wales continue to see unusually high temperature during the day and night.

German-owned sustainable engineering firm thyssenkrupp Materials UK could triple its workforce in Cradley Heath over the next three years.

Wolverhampton company Steelway has announced that acquisition by new owners is complete.

Award-winning eco distillery, Wildjac, has expanded into an additional 8,000 sq ft of business space just nine months after launch, as demand for its hand-crafted, eco-conscious spirits continues to soar.

More than 12,000 people have been told to self-isolate by Test and Trace across the region.

Former soldier Stuart Anderson is in no doubt about the size of the task ahead of him as he prepares to take on the Dragon's Back Race in September.

A Wolverhampton MP, who founded Wolves Tech Aid, watched as 25 laptops, donated by International NGO United Sikhs, were handed over to help pupils at St Luke's Primary School.

A rock concert starring a tribute act to Black Sabbath has been staged at a nursing home in the Black Country for a resident.

No problem with social distancing here. There are, at the most, half a dozen people to a carriage on the delayed 11.19am Transport for Wales service from Wolverhampton to Telford.

I suggested last week that we old folk might forego a whopping eight per cent rise in the state pension in order to spread the money more fairly. I have to report that this idea has proved about as popular as a corn plaster in a yoghurt.

Four new coronavirus deaths were confirmed in the region's hospitals over the weekend.

A motorbike rider killed in a crash in the Black Country has been described as a "beloved partner, father, brother, son and uncle".

A primary school is set to for a massive upgrade after being awarded funds from the Government's School Rebuilding Programme.

A Wolverhampton nightclub owner believes that this coming Saturday night could be a testing point on whether things are actually beginning to return to normality after closures because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Cash was stolen from an elderly woman in a distraction burglary.

The Labour leader said his party did not back the lifting of all coronavirus restrictions at once.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency last month authorised use of the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine in children aged 12-15.

Delivery group DX now expects pre-tax profit for the year to July 3 to significantly exceed market forecasts.

The leader of Staffordshire County Council is urging people to do everything they can to reduce the spread of Covid, as most legal curbs officially come to an end.

A man wanted by West Midlands Police has been arrested in southern Spain on suspicion of cocaine and firearms supply.

Increased police patrols will take place in Dudley this week in the wake of 'Freedom Day'.

Pub giant Greene King has been forced to shut 33 pubs in the past week.

A woman accused of killing her mother in Shropshire has been found to be unfit to attend her murder trial.

Tens of thousands of people headed for beaches over the weekend with roads busy on coastal routes.

A further £50 million is to be spent on transforming the Merry Hill shopping complex - with bosses promising new shops, restaurants and family entertainment.

A US-based printing specialist firm is set to open a new £2.6 million site in Wolverhampton.

A report by the Office for National Statistics highlighted the heavy financial toll despite the recent reopening of venues.

England’s overall rate of new cases is the highest since mid-January.

Education chiefs are looking forward to a return to some-sort of normality after an "incredibly challenging" year dealing with the impact of Covid-19.

A church in Stafford has been presented with a commemorative plaque to celebrate the work it has done to welcome refugees and asylum seekers.

A man charged with the murder of a father in Walsall has been remanded into custody to appear at court in October.

A man charged with the murder of a 17-year-old who was fatally stabbed in Smethwick is expected to enter a plea in September.

A man charged with murder after an insurance company worker was fatally stabbed is due to enter a plea later this year.

Five suspected drug dealers have been arrested after cash, drugs and weapons were found in raids in the Black Country.

A student has died after falling from a flat in Wolverhampton.

Plans for a new £200 million dual carriageway linking the M54 and M6 could move a step closer later this month.

A nightclub owner has been left almost £200,000 in debt due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Hundreds of 999 callers in the West Midlands have been made to wait in a queue over recent weeks because there have not been enough ambulances to be sent out to them.

Planning and running a festival under the ever-shifting Covid-19 rules must be like a supertanker crew trying to steer their way through a treacherous archipelago, with a wildly fluctuating compass, a failed autopilot, and a helmsman with one hand ti...

A rogue trader who conned people out of thousands of pounds has been given a community order.

Most Covid rules in England have been scrapped today. However, despite the lack of mandatory face masks and social distancing, self-isolating is still a requirement if contacted by Test and Trace

Rules covering face masks, social distancing and cleaning at stores including Tesco, Aldi and Asda as remaining Covid restrictions in England are scrapped

From July 19 face masks are not required by law, but a number of places including supermarket chains such as Tesco and Aldi, as well as hospitals and train operators, are still insisting on them

Boris Johnson U-turned on using a pilot testing programme and is instead having to quarantine on England’s so-called ‘freedom day’.

The PM is forced to spend so-called ‘freedom day’ in England self-isolating at Chequers after being ‘pinged’ by Test and Trace.