A "clear roadmap" is needed out of the new Covid-19 tier restrictions, the leader of Birmingham City Council has said.

The city has been placed in the toughest tier - tier three - meaning households can only meet other households in outdoor public spaces like parks, where the rule of six applies.

Hospitality venues - such as bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants - must close, except for delivery and takeaway services.

The government said the tiers would be regularly reviewed, but city council leader Ian Ward tweeted they needed to know how to come out of them., external

"We need a clear roadmap out of these restrictions and a meaningful package of support for jobs and businesses," he said.

"The crisis faced by hospitality businesses across Birmingham is of particular concern."

"Many businesses in this previously thriving sector are warning they may not survive the coming months if dealt the double blow of more restrictions and inadequate financial support."

The decision over which Covid tier your area is in will be regularly reviewed, the Department of Health said. , external

The first review is scheduled for 16 December, a fortnight after the current lockdown is due to end.

Decisions on tiers are based on public health recommendations informed by factors including case detection rate and how quickly rates are rising or falling.

An area could be moved up a tier if these indicators are not improving, and likewise down to a lower one if they improve.

MPs are set to vote on the post-lockdown tier restrictions on Tuesday and they might not have universal backing.

The Conservative MP for Shrewsbury and Atcham, Daniel Kawczynski, said earlier this week that he would wait to see which tier his constituency was in before deciding whether to support the measures.

Mr Kawczynski also said businesses in Shrewsbury had told him they didn't want excessive restrictions.

Shrewsbury, and the rest of Shropshire, has been moved up to tier two restrictions.

A reminder for those areas moving into tier three. The strictest measures include:

• You can't mix with other households indoors, or in private gardens and pub gardens
• You can meet in a group of up to six in other outdoor spaces, such as parks, beaches or countryside
• Hospitality venues - such as bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants must close, except for delivery and takeaway services
• Spectator sports cannot resume
• Indoor entertain venues - such as bowling alleys and cinemas - must close
• People are advised not to travel to and from tier three areas

The government has now released a full list , externalof which parts of the country will be in which tier after lockdown ends on Wednesday:

Tier three:

• Birmingham and Black Country
• Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
• Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull

Tier two:

• Worcestershire
• Herefordshire
• Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin

No part of the West Midlands will be in tier one.

Birmingham will be in the toughest tier for coronavirus restrictions along with Dudley, Sandwell, Wolverhampton and Solihull, the government has said.

Coventry, Warwickshire, Stoke-on-Trent and South Staffordshire are also in tier three, as revealed by the government online , externalahead of Health Secretary Matt Hancock's announcement.

Shropshire will be in tier two and Herefordshire Council said the county would be in the second tier.

People can now search for which tier level their part of England will go into after lockdown ends, as the government has just published a postcode search tool.

Unfortunately the website has crashed with the number of people using it, but here's a link to the tool, external.

Image source, UK Government

Mitchells & Butlers, the pubs and restaurants group, has said it will cut about 1,300 jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Image source, Alamy

The impact of Covid-19 has been blamed by the Birmingham-based firm for a £123m annual loss.

Mitchells & Butlers owns the All Bar One, Harvester and Toby Carvery chains.

The company said its future outlook depended on the government's restrictions to contain coronavirus.

BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester

Hereford is going to get a new cycle route into High Town and more Beryl Bikes for people to hire, with money from the government's Build Back Better fund.

The city is getting £750,000 to help it bounce back after the pandemic and the money will also pay for the first water heating system in the region to use river water.

Image source, Google

The new cycle route is expected to cost £300,000, while the water heating system for Castle Green Pavillion will cost £50,000.

Allen Cook
BBC News

A decision is due later today on which tiers each part of the West Midlands will be placed in when the national lockdown ends on Wednesday.

Most of England is expected to be placed in the two toughest tiers of coronavirus restrictions which have been beefed up since the previous tier system was used.

Differences between the tiers include limits on where households can meet up - for instance, in the new tier one, the rule of six applies indoors and out. In tier two, the rule of six remains outdoors but there is no household mixing indoors.

We will let you know as soon as we can which tier your part of the West Midlands is in here on the live page.

A fire has broken out at a flat above a shop in Foleshill Road, Coventry.

At its height, more than 30 firefighters were at the scene, after first being called shortly before 02:00.

Three crews remain on site, said the fire service.

There were no reported injuries, it added, with traffic being diverted away from the site.

BBC Radio WM

Placing Birmingham in the toughest tier of coronavirus restrictions would be a "disaster" for much of the city's hospitality industry, according to one bar owner.

Image source, Google

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will set out the plans in the Commons today with most of England expected to be placed in the two strictest tiers when the national lockdown ends.

Tier three would see hospitality venues have to close for everything except deliveries. Gary McDonnell, who runs Hennessey's Bar, Digbeth, said that would be a big blow.

"Tier three is a disaster really to a lot of the smaller hospitality venues that will not be able to see their way through it and they will lose the Christmas trade which they are heavily reliant on," he said.

Police are looking into the "incredibly distressing incident" outside a school in Telford.

BBC Sport

Coventry City boss Mark Robins said his players were "brilliant" after their deserved 1-0 win over Cardiff City.

Image source, PA Media

Tyler Walker's delicate chip after an error from Joe Ralls put the Sky Blues ahead in the second half as the hosts won for the first time since October.

The result sees Coventry pull clear of the relegation zone on 12 points.

Robins told BBC CWR: "It was deserved and hard fought. The most pleasing thing was the clean sheet and the aptitude we showed for the fight.

"I'm delighted with my players, they've been brilliant and deserve every bit of credit today, it was much better."

BBC Weather

A dry day with any low patches of cloud and fog clearing away to leave sunny spells for most areas. There'll be gentle winds, turning chilly after sunset with a high today of 8C/46F.

Image source, BBC Weather Watcher Stormchaser Al

Dry and chilly tonight with clear spells to begin, before large areas of low cloud and fog move in. Low: 2C/36F.

You can get the latest forecast for your area by going to the BBC Weather website.

Express and Star

The Express and Star is covering these stories today:

• Local authorities in England to discover their post-lockdown tiers, external
• Charity in appeal as November lockdown set to cost them £220,000 in lost revenue, external
• Man appears in court over The Range hammer attack, external

BBC Radio Stoke

A man who started an Instagram page while on furlough about rural walks around Stoke-on-Trent said he had been amazed after it clocked up 10,000 followers.

Image source, Nathan Sutton

Nathan Sutton began Find Your Footsteps in July as he had more time to go on walks when lockdown lifted.

He told BBC Radio Stoke he has been shocked at the demand and now gets people recommending walks or even asking for directions.

"I have had people being on walks and saying 'oh, which way do I go now?' So I have to call them and explain where to go which is insane as I'm just a regular Stokie," he said.

Image source, Nathan Sutton

Allen Cook
BBC News

Good morning, and welcome to our live service for Thursday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email,Twitter , externaland Facebook., external

Coventry City add to the pressure on Cardiff City boss Neil Harris with a deserved 1-0 win at St Andrew's.

William Kingham, 15, died when the car he was in flipped in Knowle, near Solihull, on Monday.