Man dies as car 'deliberately' driven at himpublished at 14:08 Greenwich Mean Time 26 December 2020
A murder inquiry begins after the man suffered fatal head injuries in Erdington, Birmingham.
Read MoreSummary
Updates from 21 December to 24 December
Man dies as car 'deliberately' driven at himpublished at 14:08 Greenwich Mean Time 26 December 2020
Teacher cycles one mile for every lockdown daypublished at 12:43 Greenwich Mean Time 26 December 2020
Will Smith, from Staffordshire, spent his Christmas Day cycling 277 miles for charity.
Read MoreAmputee officer: 'I get abuse almost daily'published at 07:16 Greenwich Mean Time 26 December 2020
Ben Perry still dreams of returning to front-line duties as a special constable.
Read MoreThe auctioneer with Harry Potter's magic touchpublished at 08:06 Greenwich Mean Time 25 December 2020
Jim Spencer has helped sell first editions of the debut book four times in December alone.
Read MoreStation's Christmas meals return under Covid rulespublished at 18:38 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
This year, takeaway meals will be offered to hundreds of homeless people at the Birmingham station.
Read MoreEnd of live updates on Christmas Evepublished at 18:00 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
Allen Cook
BBC NewsWe will return with more live updates for the West Midlands from 08:00 on 31 December.
Until then, we wish you all a happy Christmas.
Lorry driver 'so happy' to be home after Kent chaospublished at 17:56 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
BBC Radio 5 LiveA lorry driver who had been stuck in the backlog of lorries in Kent and worried he would not be home for Christmas has made his way back to Birmingham.
Image source, PA MediaRussell Elphick was among the thousands of lorry drivers parked near the docks in Dover after the French closed their border earlier this week.
It reopened on Wednesday with drivers having Covid-19 tests and Mr Elphick told the BBC, after long queues to get moving, he had finally made it home.
"I was getting worried, it took some pushing and shoving to get out away from the docks but when I did I was so happy you couldn't believe," he said.
"I had to pull up actually and have a coffee to calm down I was that elated."
Appeal as attack leaves man unconscious in hospitalpublished at 17:43 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
A photo has been released by the family of a man who remains unconscious in hospital 11 days after being attacked.
Image source, Staffordshire Police/Family HandoutStaffordshire Police said , externalit hoped the image of Cal Burton would encourage people to come forward with information about the assault on Norville Drive, Stoke-on-Trent, on 13 December.
The 23-year-old has been in intensive care with head injuries since being taken to hospital.
A 23-year-old man, from Stoke-on-Trent, has been arrested on suspicion of assault and released on bail.
Warning of Boxing Day storm for flood-hit areaspublished at 17:28 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
BBC Midlands TodayPeople in the West Midlands especially in areas already affected by rising flood waters are being warned of more rain from Boxing Day.
Image source, Environment AgencyDozens of flood warnings remain in place in the region including on the Severn, Avon, Leam and Teme.
Homes and pubs have been flooded and more than 40 people rescued from vehicles in Herefordshire and Worcestershire after about 30-40mm of rain fell on Wednesday.
Dave Throup, from the Environment Agency, says there is some dry weather at the moment but that will not last.
"Christmas Day itself looks OK, cold and dry - but then Boxing Day we have got quite a big storm system moving in," he said.
"Very high winds and possibly another 20-30mm of rain which is not going to do any good on saturated ground and already full rivers."
Council plans 'difficult' 4.99% tax risepublished at 17:16 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
BBC Radio StokeA near 5% rise in council tax in Staffordshire is being defended by the county council.
The impact of the coronavirus pandemic has seen local authorities in England overspend on their budgets to support people affected by the virus coupled with a drop in income.
Staffordshire County Council said , externalit spent two-thirds of its budget, about £346m, on social services.
Its proposals would see a 4.99% increase and the authority's leader, Alan White, admitted it would not be easy for some residents to hear.
"Putting up council tax is always a difficult thing to do but what I do hope people recognise is we are a well run council," he said.
Around the web: Roads closed by floodingpublished at 16:38 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
The Hereford Times has these stories today:
Your photos: Flooded countiespublished at 16:10 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
We are keeping a close eye on the flooding situation today particularly in Shropshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
To give you an idea how it looks in those counties, here are three photos from BBC Weather Watchers Whitefoot Photo in Worcester, Liam Ball in Ironbridge and Walkie D in Alderminster:
Image source, Whitefoot Photo
Image source, Liam Ball
Image source, Walkie DCouple's 72nd anniversary 'too good to be true'published at 16:02 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
Glynne and Kathleen Morris say active social lives kept them happy and able to mark the milestone.
Read MoreNew Covid vaccine centres planned in countypublished at 15:46 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
BBC Radio ShropshireCovid vaccination centres across Shropshire are expected to be up and running by the end of January.
Image source, PA MediaThere are currently two sites administering the vaccine in the county with one at the Bridgnorth Medical Practice and the other at Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.
The county's clinical commissioning groups (CCGs) hope to open centres for Telford, Oswestry, Whitchurch, Market Drayton and Ludlow.
Dave Evans, from the CCGs, said the low temperature storage conditions needed for the Pfizer vaccine may affect opening some centres before the end of January.
"That will be I think dependent to an extent on when the Oxford vaccine gets approved," he said.
"The Pfizer vaccine, while it is doing a great job, does not lend itself well to working in a mass vaccination site because of the storage conditions."
Police drop pollution data probe at councilpublished at 15:25 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
The investigation looked into the alleged manipulation of pollution data at Cheshire East Council.
Read MoreDozens of speeding drivers caught in crackdownpublished at 15:16 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
A driver has been caught doing 104mph on a 70mph road in Staffordshire.
Image source, Staffordshire PolicePolice carried out checks on drivers on Tuesday , externalon the A50 in Uttoxeter and the A38 in Claymills, near Burton upon Trent.
They said they caught 93 drivers speeding in the stretches covered by a 70mph limit and found several vehicles did not have MOTs or had defects.
Two vehicles were seized with one not being taxed and the other having no insurance.
Covid-19: Christmas mixing 'not worth the risk'published at 14:57 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester"I just do not think it is worth the risk" - a Herefordshire GP said he was not seeing anyone outside his household on Christmas Day amid a sharp rise in coronavirus cases.
Image source, PA MediaOne in 85 people in England is infected, according to the Office for National Statistics, and two variants are causing concern at the moment for health bosses.
The first, which emerged in Kent, is thought to be driving a rapid growth in cases and hospital admissions in the south and east of England in recent weeks.
Dr Simon Lennane, a GP in Ross-on-Wye, said the new strains were a real concern and he had put any idea of a family Christmas on hold.
Despite a sharp rise in local cases, Herefordshire continues to have one of the lowest rates of infections in the West Midlands.
"You have to take Christmas really seriously and I am not seeing anyone for Christmas, we are not having family over, we are not seeing anyone, I just do not think it is worth the risk," Dr Lennane said.
Dozens rescued from vehicles stuck in floodspublished at 14:26 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
More heavy rain is forecast for the West Midlands after Christmas Day.
Read MoreAround the web: County on flood alert after rainpublished at 14:23 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
A few of the headlines from the Shropshire Star:
Lorry driver facing Christmas stuck in Kentpublished at 14:01 Greenwich Mean Time 24 December 2020
BBC Radio WMA lorry driver who has been stuck in the backlog of lorries in Kent waiting to cross to France said he did not know if he would be home for Christmas.
Image source, PA MediaAbout 4,000 lorries are parked at Manston Airport in Kent, with another 2,300 being held on the M20 after the French closed their border with the UK.
Crossings will continue over Christmas, but all drivers are required to test negative for Covid-19 before being allowed into France.
Russel Elphick works for Chambers and Cook Freight in Witton, Birmingham, and his lorry has been stuck in Dover since Sunday.
"I am at my wits' end, I have not got a clue if I am going to be home for Christmas, I thought it would be an easy run. It is just a free-for-all, I have had enough."
