That's it for our updates today.

We're back from 08:00 on Thursday with more news, sport, travel and weather.

Officers are searching for a man who escaped from police custody in Etruria.

Christopher Brennan, 37, from Stoke-on-Trent, escaped from the the Northern Area Custody Facility at about 15:30 BST yesterday.

Image source, Staffordshire Police

He had been recalled to prison following a recent arrest. An internal investigation into the circumstances of his escape is under way.

Mr Brennan was last seen wearing a white t-shirt, grey trousers and black pumps. Anyone with information is asked to call 999 quoting incident number 469 of 24 August.

A hotel in Staffordshire is being closed due to concerns over anti-social behaviour.

The closure notice has been served on The Himley Country Hotel, School Road, Himley, to prevent anti-social behaviour, nuisance or disorder from continuing, recurring or occurring. It follows reports to Staffordshire Police and South Staffordshire Council.

Image source, Google

Councillor Roger Lees, acting council leader and chair of the Community Safety Partnership, said: "Himley Country Hotel is still causing concern for the residents of Himley, and South Staffordshire Council are working closely with Staffordshire Police to ensure residents feel safe in their local area."

Ch Insp Dave Wain, from Staffordshire Police, said the force was working with the council to find a long-term solution to the issues.

The closure notice will take effect from Friday.

People in Wolverhampton are being warned after 1,000 people tested positive for coronavirus in the past week.

City of Wolverhampton Council said the city's Covid-19 infection rates were higher than any other part of the Black Country and Birmingham.

Latest figures show there were 375.9 new cases of Covid-19 per 100,000 people over the past seven days with hospital admissions also rising.

The Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, it said, currently had about 60 positive Covid-19 patients.

Image source, Getty Images

John Denley, Wolverhampton's director of public health, said the situation was concerning.

“We always knew that, as society opened back up, infection rates would rise and we expect numbers to increase further still when children return to school next month.

"Fortunately, we are also seeing the positive effect that the vaccination programme is having, with hospitalisations and deaths much lower now than they were during the peak of the third wave."

Prof David Loughton, Chief Executive of the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, added: “I would encourage all adults to get their vaccine so they can be protected from this deadly virus and please remember to fully benefit from that protection, you must have both doses."

A man who was seriously hurt in a hit-and-run has had an operation, after previously saying he had been waiting for surgery for nearly two years.

Image source, Dominic Allan

Staff nurse at Russells Hall Hospital in Dudley Dominic Allan was struck as he got out of a taxi near his home in Stourbridge, West Midlands, in the early hours in May 2019.

The father-of-two has been wearing a protective helmet and an operation to put a titanium plate in his head at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham was cancelled four times.

But surgery has taken place and on Wednesday Mr Allan said he had got a headache but was OK.

Last week University Hospitals Birmingham trust said it was "doing everything possible" to minimise the impact of "pressures".

It stated surgery for some patients may have been rescheduled on more than one occasion "due to rising emergency admissions" and Covid-19 "related pressures on staffing and ICU capacity".

Following the release of the trust's statement, Mr Allan later told the BBC on Thursday that he had a date for surgery.

Mazen Salmou and Charlotte Marsland looked after isolated people in Worcestershire.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

Here are some of the stories on the Stoke-on-Trent Live website:

• 26 Covid deaths in North Staffordshire following Delta surge, external
• Police called to 'disturbance' on Stoke-on-Trent street as cars damaged, external
• Huge new urban beach opens in Hanley, external

BBC Sport

Aldridge swimmer Tully Kearney won silver on day one of the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Image source, PA Media

The world champion led for much of her S5 200m freestyle final but was overtaken late on by defending champion Zhang Li of China.

She told Channel 4 afterwards there had been a question mark over whether she would even get to the Paralympics.

"The fact I’ve got a medal is crazy. I think after Rio I thought the Paralympics wouldn’t be possible, that I wouldn’t be able to swim," she said.

The 24-year-old will race again in the 100m tomorrow.

Newspapers dating from 1894 are among items ecovered from a time capsule found under a library.

Woodside Library in Dudley is being moved brick-by-brick to the Black Country Living Museum and the capsule was discovered in the process.

So delicate it could only be opened safely by experts, its contents have now been examined by Drakon Heritage.

Image source, Dudley Council

It contained three newspapers, all dated Saturday 1 July,1894, the day the library on Stourbridge Road officially opened.

It also contained slips containing the names of people involved either in building the library or the opening ceremony, a book containing a list of the council committees at the time and a letter written by David Millington, chairman of the library committee, to the Earl and the Countess of Dudley to thank them for attending the opening ceremony.

Image source, Dudley Council

Patrick Harley, leader of the council, said: "This was a fascinating find and only serves to underline the historical importance of the building."

BBC Sport

Teenager Cameron Archer scored a hat-trick as Aston Villa eased into the third round of the Carabao Cup with a comprehensive win at League Two Barrow.

He tapped home the first before Anwar El Ghazi scored twice, chipping in a penalty and then volleying home from close in to make it 3-0 at the break.

Image source, Getty Images

Archer dinked in a lovely finish for his second before Frederic Guilbert smashed in a fifth.

The 19-year-old completed his hat-trick with a fine low shot late on.

There were also wins last night in the cup for Stoke City and Wolves, while Shrewsbury Town, Birmingham City and Crewe were all knocked out and don't make it to the third round draw.

Coventry Live

Here are some of the headlines from the Coventry Live website today:

• The 20 Covid hotspots mapped across Coventry and Warwickshire, external
• Airbnb stay ends in prison for Coventry man as 'beautiful girl' turned out to be 12 , external
• Demolition of inferno-hit Prologis warehouse gets under way, external

BBC Weather Watchers

The BBC Weather Watchers have been out and about snapping the scenery on their travels.

Here is a selection from Alvechurch, Bidford-on-Avon and Aldridge.

Image source, alvechurchweather

Image source, MaidMarion

Image source, Tippytoes

BBC Radio WM Sport

It will be a weakened West Bromwich Albion side that hosts Arsenal in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening.

Image source, Google

Valerien Ismael will use youngsters and fringe players for the second-round tie, after a busy start to the Championship season.

He acknowledges the Carabao Cup is not at the top of his agenda, saying the Baggies' first priority is the league.

The match will be live on BBC Radio WM from 20:00 BST.

Birmingham Live

Here are some of the headlines from the Birmingham Live website today:

• Man in five-hour rooftop stand-off with police after cannabis factory discovered , external
• Serial burglar with 30 convictions in 20 years avoids jail for latest Saltley raid, external
• Inside massive clothes factory churning out Boss and Stone Island fakes for markets, external

The male kitten is in good health and being cared for at a vets clinic in the West Midlands.

A senior officer urges people to "think before they call" after the report to West Midlands Police.

BBC Radio Stoke

A bumper number of visitors are being forecast by organisers of this year's Staffordshire County Show.

The event, in Stafford, was cancelled in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The show is taking place across two days, external with visitors recommended to get a lateral flow test before and after they come.

Attractions include cookery shows and dog display performances alongside livestock competitions.

Event organiser Richard Williams said: "I have been amazed by the public response, we have had such a huge number of advanced tickets sold, I have never known anything like it."

Lisa Wright
BBC News, West Midlands

He's been filming in Birmingham for a few days now, but there was still much excitement as we spotted Tom Cruise in Grand Central this morning.

The centre has been transformed into a film set while the Hollywood superstar films Mission: Impossible 7.

We caught a glimpse of Cruise as he was filmed, along with extras, travelling down an escalator, and he even pleased waiting fans with a wave as they called his name.

Part of the shopping centre remains shut while filming continues.

Craig Fairclough targeted a woman weeks after trying to rob a 12-year-old girl, a court is told.

BBC Radio Stoke

A shortage of vets is increasing stress levels and workloads for those working in the profession, according to one vet in Staffordshire.

Image source, Getty Images

Tracey Latham, from the Moorland Veterinary Centre, in Leek, says the huge increase in pet ownership during the pandemic has led to longer working days.

"Stress levels have risen significantly since the pandemic and the increase in dog ownership. We are doing the best job that we can," she says.

The government says it has added the profession to the Home Office's shortage list to make it easier to recruit people from overseas.