Updates from 21 December to 24 December
Health Secretary Matt Hancock is currently giving a briefing at Downing Street and is widely expected to announce new tier restrictions.
You can follow live updates here.
Local Democracy Reporting Service
Herefordshire has seen the reported rate of new infections more than double since it was announced the area would be downgraded to tier one.
However, the county's director of public health says due to a lag in the data reported by Public Health England the extra infections occurred before last week's move - and not due to it.
Figures released on Monday showed the rate of new infections rose from 46.2 per 100,000 people in the seven days up to 10 December, to 92.8 in the week up to 17 December.
Image source, Getty ImagesThe latest figures covering the week up to 18 December show that to have risen to 107.4 for the week up to 18 December - the day before it moved down to tier one.
Herefordshire Director of Public Health Rebecca Howell-Jones said: "It reflects transmission that happened while we were under tier two restrictions."
She also said the cases had been spread around the county and was "not like the farm outbreak we had in the summer, it’s not being driven by one outbreak".
She added the "light at the end of the tunnel" may be "still several months away” despite the vaccine.
BBC Radio Shropshire
A Shropshire meat supplier says the closure of the French border has cost it close to £500,000.
Rizvan Khalid, the managing director of Euro Quality Lambs, in Craven Arms, said the company was due to send five lorries to customers in Paris this week, but was only able to send one.
Image source, GoogleMr Khalid said each load was worth between £100,000 and £125,000 and the company had had to reduce production as a result.
Three men have been arrested in connection with a murder in India 11 years ago, police have said.
The three were detained on Monday after West Midlands Police said, external extradition warrants had been issued by magistrates in Westminster.
Two men in Coventry, aged 37 and 40, and a 38-year-old man in Wolverhampton were arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to murder.
The force has not revealed which case the arrests were connected to in 2009, but said all three appeared before magistrates and were given bail with strict conditions.
Ministers are meeting today to discuss whether more areas of England should be placed in tier four - the toughest coronavirus restrictions - in a bid to contain the spread of a new variant of Covid-19.
Much of the West Midlands is currently in tier three, apart from Shropshire and Worcestershire in tier two and Herefordshire in tier one.
Image source, PA MediaHowever, many areas have seen a rise in cases, including in those aged under 18.
Rugby in Warwickshire has seen the rate of new infections rise from 108.32 per 100,000 people in the week up to 5 December to 344 - with the biggest rises seen in children and 18-to-24-year-olds.
Birmingham is currently seeing almost 3,000 new infections a week, with the rate rising from 211.2 in the seven days up to 11 December, to 261.0 a week later.
With just two sleeps to go until the big day, we have been getting in the Christmas spirit with some of the photos coming from our local BBC Weather Watchers.
These three are from users OgySnaps in Redditch, Worcestershire, Stormchaser Al in Halesowen, Dudley and Angus and Me in Hednesford, Staffordshire:
Image source, OgySnaps
Image source, Stormchaser Al
Image source, Angus and MeA Hereford restaurant has had to close over Christmas after a member of staff tested positive for coronavirus.
Beefy Boys on Newmarket Street said it had only affected one of its 50 staff, and the person had not been in direct contact with customers or food.
Image source, GoogleThe restaurant said being forced to close for 10 days over Christmas was "difficult" and it thanked "everyone that has been supportive of us over this crazy time".
Warwickshire Police said it was "miraculous" the driver in this car walked away with no injuries.
The vehicle hit a tree on the A425 near Napton in Warwickshire overnight.
Image source, Warwickshire PolicePeople in Wolverhampton are being warned of long queues today at a rapid Covid-19 testing site.
Image source, City of Wolverhampton CouncilThe city council says, external it could take up to an hour to be seen at the Civic Centre which closes at 19:00.
It adds there are shorter wait times for the lateral flow tests at the Bilal Mosque centre which is open until 18:30.
The Civic Centre testing site will close after Christmas Eve and reopen on Tuesday with the mosque site reopening on Sunday., external
Florence Seager, 11, raised £50,000 to travel to Turkey for her scoliosis operation.
Read MoreShortening the Covid-19 Christmas bubble rules to just one day could lead to a spike in drink driving, the deputy Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands has warned.
Waheed Saleem pointed out that people will now have to travel to visit family and return on the same day, meaning more cars on the road and more people heading home after having a drink.
Image source, West Midlands PCCMr Saleem suggested people intending to drive go without a festive drink this year and also warned his officers would be out in force to carry out roadside tests.
Heavy rain and strong winds are set to hit parts of the West Midlands over the next few days.
Image source, Met OfficeA yellow weather warning for heavy rain is already in place from the Met Office, external and covers parts of Birmingham and the Black Country, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Warwickshire and Worcestershire.
The alert says there is a small chance homes could flood along with travel disruption.
The Met Office is also warning of strong winds on Saturday with a yellow warning from 15:00 on Boxing Day until 12:00 on Sunday.
Image source, Met Office
BBC Wales News
Brewery and pub operator Marston's is going to take over hundreds of Welsh pubs to try and save 1,300 jobs.
The Wolverhampton-based firm will take over the running of about 150 SA Brains pubs in Wales.
Brains said restrictions during the pandemic had put the business under "significant financial pressure".
Ralph Findlay, Chief Executive of Marston's, said the pubs were a "great fit" within the operator's existing estate.
"We look forward to the pub teams joining us and to welcoming guests and the communities which they serve, back into these pubs as the country emerges from the pandemic over the weeks and months ahead," he said.
An outdoor market will close at midday and reopen in the new year.
The market in Leek will shut early due to the high winds forecast this afternoon, Staffordshire Moorlands District Council said. , external
The reopening will be on 6 January after a break for Christmas.
Neil Parkinson, 66, was found by emergency services in a lay-by in Cotheridge.
Read MoreRapid Covid-19 tests are going to be rolled out to more parts of the country including Coventry and Walsall in the next few weeks.
Image source, PA MediaThe lateral flow tests, which do not require processing in a laboratory, are already being used in 106 council areas and are often used to try and find people with the virus who do not show symptoms.
Public Health England says it hopes using the tests in Coventry, Walsall and 15 other new areas starting in December or January would slow the spread of the virus.
Both Coventry and Walsall are in tier three with rising infection rates.
Flood barriers are going up along the Wharfage in Ironbridge today, with the River Severn expected to peak between 5.1m and 5.5m tomorrow.
At the moment the area is only covered by a flood alert, external, but the Environment Agency said it expected the river level to rise further with more rain forecast.
Image source, Environment AgencyThe Environment Agency has made a number of changes since the barrier was forced back across the street during last year's floods.
It has increased the size of the membrane on the front of the barriers, to reduce the water pressure on the supports.
And it has also installed reinforced fuel storage cubes behind the barriers, to make it easier to refuel the pumps.
BBC Radio Shropshire Sport
Shrewsbury Town manager Steve Cotterill says his team are going through a tough sequence of matches at the moment.
Their last three games have all been away and they travel to Wigan on Boxing Day on the back of three 1-0 wins.
Image source, Getty ImagesCotterill was pleased with the the win over Doncaster last night, saying it was as tough as the wins over top-of-the-table Hull and Lincoln.
But he added: "Four away games is tough at any time of the season."
Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC Radio WM
There is "no intention" of parts of the West Midlands, including Birmingham, being placed under stricter coronavirus restrictions before Christmas Day, according to the region's mayor.
Image source, PA MediaSpeaking to BBC Radio WM this morning, Andy Street described an apparent leak to a newspaper from a meeting yesterday as "irresponsible" as "the evidence doesn’t bear it out".
The Daily Mirror has reported, external plans to put Birmingham into the new toughest tier ahead of Christmas Day were discussed by the government on Tuesday.
"On the question of 'is the West Midlands going to be put into Tier 4 before Boxing Day?' I believe the answer is no. There is no intention of doing that as far as I know," Mr Street said.
He added coronavirus infection numbers in the region were rising, but none of the seven metropolitan boroughs were in the top 100 areas for cases and the region’s case rate overall was below the national average.
Speaking about an expected meeting of ministers today to decide whether tiers should be changed after Christmas, the mayor said: "It could be there are additional restrictions for a number of places, indeed it could even be the whole country, we do not know, from as early as Boxing Day, and I’m sure that we would be included in that conversation."
"But to be really clear, we are not a special case, we haven’t been singled out, there is not a particularly bad situation here but I don’t want to give false reassurance…I do not know what the government will decide nationwide for Boxing Day and onwards."
Allen Cook
BBC News
Sandbags are being prepared in Bewdley with more flooding expected.
Image source, Wyre Forest District CouncilFlood barriers have been put in place on Beales Corner, Bewdley,, external with rain pushing the level of the River Severn higher.
Wyre Forest District Council said, external sandbags were available from three locations with more rain forecast today.
Bewdley suffered flooding earlier this year when water poured over the top of the temporary flood barriers.
Image source, Environment AgencyThe Environment Agency has four flood warnings in place in Worcestershire , external- two in Worcester and one each near Kempsey and in Upton upon Severn.
River levels are expected to stay high into the weekend, the agency warned.
