Coventry United FC say "numerous" players and members of staff tested positive for coronavirus.

Children from less well-off families are likely to end up in low-paid jobs no matter how well they do at school in some parts of England, a report has concluded.

The areas with the worst social mobility in the country include Wolverhampton, Walsall, and Dudley, the report says.

The Social Mobility Commission report, drawn up with the Institute for Fiscal Studies, compares how much people who received free school meals as children earned at the age of 28 in different parts of England.

The commission says persistent poverty means some families risk being "locked into disadvantage" for generations. It is demanding the government does more to boost social mobility.

A man is in hospital with injuries which West Mercia Police said may be life threatening, more than a fortnight after being assaulted in Hereford.

The force said it had happened in Union Street on 6 September at 01:50, after an argument, and it believes the fight may have been filmed on a mobile phone.

Image source, Google

It said the injuries to the victim, who is in his 30s, could also be life-changing.

They mean people in some areas are banned from meeting others who are not part of their household.

Warrington Council hopes people not visiting others' homes will keep the town from a "formal lockdown".

Jacob Billington, 23, was killed and seven others were injured during separate attacks.

All the players and staff at Coventry United football club have gone into isolation, after "numerous" cases of coronavirus were confirmed.

The club, which plays in the Midland League Premier Division, postponed its match against Newark last week after a player and a member of staff reported symptoms.

More cases were found when tests were carried out.

It will mean the club won't play again until 19 September at the soonest and they've had to drop out of the FA Cup, because they couldn't play their game against Evesham United.

Worcester News

Here are three of the stories from the Worcester News today:

• Surge in 'Covid assaults' on West Mercia officers, external
• 'Pet psychic' appears on This Morning, external
• Driver crashes car into front of home, external

Officers armed with a taser were called to reports of a man with a Samurai sword in Leamington Spa.

Image source, Warwickshire Police

But "upon engagement" the officers sent to Warwick Street found something quite different, the Warwickshire force tweeted. , external

"The 'sword' was found to be an umbrella with a sword-hilt handle," it said.

Posting a picture of the man involved, it added "not everything is always as it seems".

"Cosplay safe!"

A rider and passenger have been injured in a motorbike crash on Reginald Mitchell Way, in Stoke-on-Trent.

The air ambulance has been called to the second roundabout off the D road.

Staffordshire police said at this stage their injuries aren't thought life threatening or life changing.

Sandwell councillor Joanne Hadley was allegedly recorded using racially abusive terms.

Facebook

The stricter coronavirus restrictions have come into force in Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull today, meaning households can't meet, unless they're in a support bubble.

And there's been some grumbling on the BBC Midlands Facebook page, external.

Melanie Brownhill comment: "Well that just don't make any sense. You cant see your family, but you can meet anyone in a pub."

And Liam Dyde wrote: "As long as you meet at the pub its fine, cos you’ll be spending money, therefore paying taxes."

Image source, gett

Birmingham City Council said last week the reason for allowing people to visit places including pubs and restaurants was that they had established safety precautions in place, to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

But Anna Ashwood wrote: "Home probably cleaner than a lot of pubs. If we feel ill or have symptoms we would tell our family or friends, because we care about them."

New lockdown measures have come into force in parts of the West Midlands after the number of coronavirus cases rose.

People in Birmingham, Sandwell and Solihull are banned from meeting others who are not part of their household or support bubble, in homes or gardens.

Here's our guide to how it might affect you.

Birmingham Live

Some of the Birmingham Live headlines today include:

• Covid-19 latest; new pub and restaurant rules; testing shortage, external
• Staff at Birmingham McDonald's test positive for Covid-19, external
• Staff at Walsall Manor Hospital test positive for Covid-19, external

Procedures are suspended as a "precautionary measure" after a staff member tested positive.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

The demolition of Shrewsbury's Riverside shopping centre could get underway in the new year.

Shropshire Council wants to knock it down, along with the medical practice, multi-storey car park, bus station and footbridge, to make way for a new development with flats, offices, a hotel, restaurants and ships.

The authority has been held up by legal issues over rights of way, getting utilities connected and by the coronavirus outbreak.

It believes the project could take two or three years.

BBC Shropshire

Five registered hunts in Shropshire have shared government grants of £50,000 to help them during the coronavirus pandemic.

The money was passed on to them by Shropshire Council, which has recieved £91m to help small businesses.

Image source, Getty Images

The council said it was legally obliged to provide grants to those who had applied if they met the criteria set by ministers, and the hunts ticked all the boxes.

The Birmingham stabbing suspect left the city before returning, which will address criticism the suspect was able to wander through the city, West Midlands Chief Constable has said.

Image source, Family handout

Dave Thompson told today's meeting of the Strategic Police and Crime Board the duty inspector on shift attempted to deploy every available officer" to the scene and officers from other areas of the force were also drafted in.

Mr Thompson also said an "extensive CCTV trawl" and the "absence of a good quality CCTV image" prevented the force from releasing images of the suspect sooner.

Mr Thompson was addressing criticism of the force over the stabbings which included questions about how the suspect was allowed to roam the city for so long and why it had taken so long to release pictures.

Jacob Billington, 23, died from a knife wound on 6 September following a string of attacks spanning 90 minutes.

There's no clear evidence that coronavirs is being spread within schools, Birmingham's director of public health has said.

However, there are signs it is being spread outside schools by social events such as birthday parties, Dr Justin Varney said.

A lot of pupils are being sent home after positive Covid-19 cases identified but very few schools have shut completely, he added.

Image source, PA Media

"One of the challenges we have is that if there’s a positive case in a bubble of schoolchildren and teachers the whole bubble has to be sent home for 14 days as soon as that child is confirmed positive," said director of public health Dr Justin Varney.

The impact varies depending on how big the school bubbles are, he said.

"What we’re not seeing at the moment is any clear evidence of spread within schools – what we are seeing is the evidence of the social stuff outside of schools like birthday parties."

There's no balloon festival in Telford this year, but people are being encouraged to look to the skies for the next best thing.

A mass balloon launch has been organised from a number of secret locations so people can see them from their homes.

Image source, Telford and Wrekin Council

Last year, more than 50,000 people turned out for the event in the town park.

The balloons will be launched during the mornings and evenings this weekend.