A Shifnal curry restaurant has delivered dozens of curries to night staff at the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford.

East End Balti said it wanted to do this every Monday as "a little gesture to show how much we appreciate the NHS, the true heroes of our country."

Image source, Francesca Price

Staff at the hospital have thanked the restaurant for its support.

People are heeding the advice to stay home to keep pressure off the NHS - and it's working, says adviser.

A text message warning people they'll be fined for going outside is a scam, said Warwickshire Fire Service.

It warned people not to click or tap on any links the messages ask you to.

Hundreds of boxes of personal protection equipment (PPE) have been donated to local NHS services by the University of Birmingham.

Image source, University of Birmingham

Staff in some hospitals have complained they lack basic protective gear such as face masks or medical scrubs, with some even buying their own.

The government says it is working "around the clock" to provide support to the NHS and social care staff.

The equipment from research labs and departments across the university will go to support workers at Queen Elizabeth Hospital as well as the local women's and children's hospitals.

A further 28 coronavirus-related deaths were confirmed in the West Midlands on Monday, bringing the total in the region to 218.

Image source, PA Media

Eight patients who died in Wolverhampton had tested positive for Covid-19, along with six in Dudley and two in Sandwell.

The UK total on Monday stood at 1,408.

The UK's chief scientific adviser said there were early signs the social distancing measures - which restrict people's travel and activities outside their home - were "making a difference".

Britons stranded abroad have criticised the government's "lack of clarity" over plans to fly them home.

Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab announced the Government had made an arrangement with airlines to fly home tens of thousands of British travellers where commercial flights are no longer available.

Speaking at the Downing Street press conference on Monday, he said: "Under the arrangements that we are putting in place we will target flights from a range of priority countries, starting this week."

Image source, PA Media

For some, though, it does not go far enough. Support worker Elizabeth Hazlewood, 52, from Shrewsbury in Shropshire, set up a crowdfunding page after she was left stranded in Tunisia.

"I would have thought all locations should be a priority to get stranded UK citizens home," she said.

Her scheduled flight on March 25 was cancelled but she said she had been able to pay for tickets to return to the UK on Tuesday.

The West Midlands police chief says claims Britain is becoming a "police state" due to coronavirus restrictions are "widely off the mark".

New guidance was issued to police on Thursday when officers were given powers to fine people who gather in groups or refuse to return home, following social distancing measures introduced by the government.

Officers have been told to take a "consistent" approach when ensuring people comply with emergency measures aimed at curbing coronavirus.

Ch Const Dave Thompson tweeted:, external "Officers and staff are doing their best and the public are following the advice."

But he conceded that in "a small number of cases" the deployment of police powers "could have been done differently".

Vanessa Pearce
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Tuesday.

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