The landlord of the White Horse pub in Clun said he had been expecting Shropshire to move into tier three, and he'd been planning accordingly.

Jack Lemond said "we've all been waiting for it since we were put in to tier two" and that while the respite of tier two had been nice this Christmas "it's not been particularly busy".

Image source, Google

Mr Lemond added: "I've been very cagey and expecting this so I have been operating on minimum stock."

That meant using beer from his own brewery and not ordering from the big suppliers "who last time didn't give the money back or were very difficult about it".

He estimated he'd have to throw away about £500-£600 of beer which he can't sell when tier three restrictions start tomorrow, but said it would have been five times that amount if he hadn't already reduced his stock.

Sophie Calvert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

While the number of coronavirus cases in the Stafford and Cheshire East authority areas are going up, they've been falling in Stoke-on-Trent, Newcastle-under-Lyme and the Staffordshire Moorlands.

So you can see why some people might say they're not impressed and today's announcement was the news that probably no-one wanted to hear.

But it's also not a shock because we did think this was going to happen.

The Education Secretary has also asked universities to reduce the number of students who return to campus at the start of January.

Gavin Williamson said students who require practical learning to gain their professional qualifications should be prioritised to return to campus.

And he said all university students should be offered two rapid tests on return in order to reduce the chance of the spread of the disease.

The change in coronavirus restrictions will also have an impact on sports.

When the second lockdown ended earlier this month, Shrewsbury Town was one of only two clubs in our area allowed to admit fans.

And when Crewe moved in to tier three, it was our only club with spectators.

But with Shropshire moving in to tier three, that will have to stop.

Because the Covid infection rate is particularly high among secondary school age pupils, Gavin Williamson says the government will allow more time so every school is able to fully roll out testing for all pupils and staff.

He says all pupils in exam years will return during the week beginning 11 January, with all secondary and college pupils returning full-time on 18 January.

During the first week of term after 4 January, secondary schools and colleges will prepare to test as many staff and students as possible and will only be open to vulnerable children and children of key workers, he says.

He adds that military personnel will provide virtual training to help with testing, with teams on stand-by to provide in-person support if needed.

Secondary schools and colleges in areas of England with very high rates of Covid infection rates will not open to all pupils in January, the education secretary says.

For those areas affected, face-to-face education will continue for only exam-year pupils, vulnerable children and children of critical workers

Remote education will be given to all other students.

The West Midlands Mayor has said that while people and businesses will be disappointed by the introduction of tier four restrictions, "I think the majority view will be it's understandable".

Mr Street also said rising Covid case number showed tier three restrictions hadn't worked and "frankly we want to act quickly to prevent the sort of numbers that we've seen in London".

Mr Street said "more money needs to be put in the table" to help businesses that are already struggling, but added: "This place has bounced back many times before and will do so again.

"The quicker we act, the quicker we can move out the other side."

The Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has said that primary schools will reopen as planned next month, except in the very worst areas of England.

Given infection rates in the West Midlands are being dwarfed by those in the south east of England, that seems unlikely to affect us.

And he said he was determined that: "Children will not have to pay the price of beating Covid."

Image source, UK Parliament TV

The list of areas affected by these closures will be published later on the government's website.

Mr Williamson said this was "not all tier four areas" adding that the areas would be reviewed regularly so schools could open to all pupils as early as possible.

The decision to change coronavirus restrictions is based on more than just the infection rate - the pressure on the local health service is also an important factor.

Earlier today University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust told us it was currently caring for more than 550 Covid-19 inpatients, in addition to about 1,900 non-Covid inpatients.

Image source, Google

It also has some 800 patients attending its emergency departments each day, with a variety of problems.

And it pointed out the trust had admitted more Covid patients than any other trust in England.

While there will be a lot of things you can't do under tier four restrictions, some things will still be allowed:

• Meeting one other person from another household in an open public space, if you are both alone
• Shopping for essentials such as food and medicine
• Outdoor pools, playgrounds, sports courts, golf courses and horse riding centres can open
• You can leave home for work, education, training, childcare and for medical appointments and emergencies
• Communal religious worship
• Support bubbles are still allowed and children can move between separated parents

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson is next up in the Commons, with a statement on plans for the start of the school term in England.

It comes after government health advisers suggested schools may have to close to allow the new coronavirus variant to be suppressed.

The Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce have asked for more support for business during the continuing coronavirus restrictions, which are being extended and toughened from midnight tonight.

Its chief executive, Paul Faulkner, said: "We are dismayed at the continuing lack of additional support for businesses, despite the continuing escalation in cases and measures."

Image source, Greater Birmingham Chambers of Commerce

Mr Faulkner also said: "There's light at the end of the tunnel, but businesses need the government to keep laying down the tracks in order to reach it."

"We will continue to call on the chancellor to back our businesses by enhancing grant support for the most impacted businesses with higher overheads and take urgent action on VAT and business rates reliefs and other key measures."

The decision to move Staffordshire into tier four from midnight tonight "will come as a devastating blow to businesses", the leader of the county council has said.

Alan White also said: "The priority for 2021 is to get cases back under control and persuade the government that restrictions can be eased in Staffordshire."

Image source, Staffordshire County Council

Mr White also said that while the news about the Oxford vaccine is welcome, "it will be some months before we see the benefits and we must stay vigilant to protect lives this winter".

The Health Secretary has spoken about the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which was approved today and thanked everyone involved in its creation.

He said: "The vaccine is the route out of this crisis."

About a year since we first heard about Covid-19, he said we now need to do what we can to reduce pressure on the NHS and prevent the spread of the virus "and then the vaccine can come and save us".

Other local authority areas in the the West Midlands have now been moved to tier three status.

They are:

• Shropshire
• Telford and Wrekin
• Bromsgrove,
• Malvern Hills,
• Redditch,
• Worcester,
• Wychavon,
• Wyre Forest
• Herefordshire

Here's a reminder of what tier four restrictions means.

They are similar to the restrictions during the last national lockdown , externaland include:

• Residents should stay at home, unless they have a "reasonable excuse" such as work or education
• All non-essential shops must close
• Hairdressers and nail bars must close
• Indoor entertainment venues must close
• Gyms and indoor swimming pools, indoor sports courts and dance studios must close
• You cannot meet other people indoors, unless you live with them or they are part of your support bubble
• People should not leave tier four areas or travel abroad, except for limited reasons (including work and education)
• Weddings and civil partnership ceremonies are only allowed in exceptional circumstances

"Clinically extremely vulnerable" people in tier four areas , externalare advised to stay at home "as much as possible". The government says if they can't work from home, they shouldn't go to work.

With infection rates continuing to rise, a number of West Midlands authority areas have moved into tier four restrictions.

They are:

• Dudley
• Birmingham
• Sandwell
• Walsall
• Wolverhampton
• Coventry
• Solihull
• Rugby
• Nuneaton and Bedworth
• Warwick
• North Warwickshire
• Stratford-upon-Avon
• East Staffordshire
• Stafford
• South Staffordshire
• Cannock Chase
• Lichfield
• Staffordshire Moorlands
• Newcastle-under-Lyme
• Tamworth
• Stoke-on-Trent

Image source, Parliament Live TV

Health Secretary Matt Hancock is now beginning his Commons statement on changes to the tier system in England.

Worcestershire hasn't got the same high infection rates as the more urban parts of the West Midlands, but they have been rising.

Bromsgrove has the highest infection rate in the county and figures for the seven days to Christmas day show there were 272.3 new cases per 100,000 people in the local authority area - up from 193.2 for the previous seven days.

Wychavon was the next highest with 210.9, followed by Redditch with 208.8, Wyre Forest with 180.7 and Worcester with 170.9.

Neighbouring Herefordshire, which is currently also in tier two, reported a rate of 181.5.

While Wolverhampton leads the way with its infection rate, other parts of the urban West Midlands aren't far behind and they're all rising.

For the seven days leading up to Christmas Day Sandwell had a rate of 337.3 new infections per 100,000 people, Birmingham was at 310.9, Walsall at 297.4, Dudley 283.9, Solihull 247.7 and Coventry 239.8.

All areas in the region are currently dwarfed by the infection rates in parts of the south east which are already in tier four.

Brentwood was the worst over that period with an infection rate of 1258.1.

Health Secretary Matt Hancock will set out the details of which areas will be affected in a Commons statement at around 15:00.

Infection rates in lower tier areas of England have risen rapidly in the last seven days and the whole of the West Midlands conurbation, as well as Warwickshire and Coventry could move up to tier four.

According to the latest figures Wolverhampton, has the highest rate of new infections in the West Midlands region, with 413.9 cases per 100,000 people in the week up to 25 December - up from 307.9.