Alex Claridge says he was sent angry emails after choosing to be cautious at the end of lockdown.

Aston Villa boss Dean Smith is forced to miss the club's first pre-season match of the season as he isolates with his family.

A trust postpones some operations due to a rise in patients with Covid-19 and staff isolating.

The officers receive "slash injuries" in the attack at the New Square centre, in West Bromwich.

That's it for our live service for Wednesday.

Any breaking stories will appear in the stream this evening or overnight.

We'll be back on Thursday from 8am.

The 47-year-old is being held on suspicion of perverting the course of justice.

Campaigners are worried fly-tipping will increase as people struggle to get rid of waste.

A man has died after suffering a head injury, West Midlands Police said.

The 29-year-old man was found in distress in Barnett Street, Kingswinford, at around 04:20 BST.

He was taken to hospital but later died.

The road has been sealed off while inquiries continue, it added.

Image source, Google

Det Insp Hannah Whitehouse said: “Enquires are ongoing and as part of this we’re conducting a trawl of CCTV and speaking to potential witnesses.

“I’d ask anyone who knows anything or may have seen anything to contact us as soon as possible."

The 62-year-old was found dead in Wolverhampton in suspicious circumstances, police said.

Swimmer Anita Lonsbrough and cyclist Hugh Porter urge competitors to '"absorb everything".

Lucy Fox is on trial after her mum Judith disappeared from her Shropshire home last summer.

More than 100 e-scooters have been sezied by West Midlands Police as part of its ongoing work to tackle illegal riders.

Between January and June the force seized 106 e-scooters, while an operation in Birmingham city centre on Monday saw a further 14 being seized.

E-scooters are legally available to buy but it’s currently against the law to ride a privately owned one in any public place - including roads, parks or pavements - in the UK.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Sgt Jon Butler said: "The scheme being trialled has ensured there is an alternative and more environmentally-friendly way to travel.

"However, e-scooters can be very dangerous if people use them illegally and dangerously.

"We want people to feel safe in our towns and cities and we'll continue to take action against those who ignore the rules."

An arrest has been made after a 53-year-old man suffered life-threatening head injuries in an assault in Halesowen.

Parts of Drews Holloway South was cordoned off after officers were called at 20:43 to people arguing and fighting, police said.

A 29-year-old from Halesowen was arrested at the scene on suspicion of assault.

West Midlands Police has called for anyone who saw what happened, or may have CCTV or doorbell camera footage, to come forward.

Those being ridden illegally were taken off the streets across the West Midlands.

Over 17,000 coronavirus vaccines were delivered between Friday and Monday in a bid to get as many people vaccinated before 19 July, Black Country and West Birmingham Clinical Commissioning Group said.

At the 'Big Walk-in Weekend' over 40 locations across the Black Country and West Birmingham opened their doors to offer vaccinations to all adults.

With over 300,000 people across the area still yet to receive their first dose, health chiefs are urging people to continue to come forward for their vaccine.

Image source, PA Media

Hawks are to be flown around Worcester five days a week for the next two months in a bid to deter gulls from settling in the city.

From 19 July the birds will fly in parts of Worcester for up to eight hours a day.

Hawk flying was tested in the city's Britannia Square and other parts of central Worcester in spring 2020 and there have been no reports of additional gulls nesting since.

The current programme, which will be undertaken by an experienced hawk flyer, will target areas including The Tything; Foregate Street; High Street; Copenhagen Street; Lower Wick; and Blackpole.

Image source, Worcester City Council

“Residents frequently tell us that gulls are a nuisance and in extreme cases, can regularly disturb sleep and affect their health,” said Worcester City Council leader Marc Bayliss (pictured).

“We are working hard to address this issue."

The chain was fined £750,000 after Ateeq Rafiq died after getting trapped at Star City.

Two police officers have been injured in an incident at the New Square shopping centre in West Bromwich.

The shopping centre said in a tweet the men involved in the incident had been arrested.

It also said the police officers had received medical treatment.

The shopping centre is assisting West Midlands Police in its investigation, it said.

Image source, Daniel Graves

West Midlands Police has not yet commented on the incident.

Many waste collections are being disrupted as workers have to self-isolate.

Stoke-on-Trent City Council said it was behind on recycling and waste collections, but later said it was now up to date, while the garden waste collections continue to be delayed.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Eurasian beavers could be returning to Shropshire for the first time since the 16th Century.

Plans have been made to release a number of them in the Bagley area, if permission is granted by Natural England.

The beavers have already been reintroduced to the wild in other parts of the country and Shrewsbury Town Council and Shropshire Wildlife Trust, who are working together on the project, believe the beavers will boost biodiversity and help to combat flooding.

Image source, Getty Images

Town clerk Helen Ball said: “They are known as a ‘keystone species’, so they have the ability to engineer their surroundings and create niches for a high variety of other species, from plants and fungi to fish and birds.

“Studies have shown they filter pollution from the water, they can lock up carbon, they prevent flooding and they maintain nitrogen and other chemical cycles.”

Work on a beaver enclosure is due to start in November, with the aim of having the beavers arrive between July and October 2022.