More than 100 people turn out to sing carols as neighbours arrange decorations and a snow machine.

A service of remembrance has been held for British soldiers killed during the conflict in Afghanistan.

Image source, PA Media

Image source, PA Media

Wreaths dedicated to 457 British personnel killed during the conflict were laid at the Bastion Memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire.

The commemoration marked the 20th anniversary of the start of UK military operations in Afghanistan.

Image source, PA Media

Piper Major Colour Sgt Peter Grant, who led the procession in Staffordshire, said the service was an important moment to reflect on what had happened in Afghanistan.

Speaking before the service, he told the BBC that having served in Afghanistan, it was "quite emotional" to see the names of people he knew on the wall of the Bastion memorial.

Covid-19 rates have fallen in Rugby and Herefordshire, according to the latest figures from the UK Health Security Agency.

Figures released in the last week have shown both areas dealing with their highest number of cases since the pandemic began - in large part due to outbreaks in schools.

However, both saw small drops in their rates in the seven days up to and including 2 October.

Rugby's rate fell 17% from 759 per 100,000 people to 632, while Herefordshire's fell 13% from 625 to 545.

By contrast, Nuneaton and Bedworth has seen a small rise in new infections as it again recorded one of the highest rates in England - 642 new infections per 100,000 people over the period.

Rugby, Stafford, Cannock Chase and Lichfield similarly remain among England's hotspots.

In all, 19 out of the 30 local authorities in the West Midlands recorded falls in their rates in the week up to 2 October, following, in most cases, rises over the last month.

And crucially, despite a rise in new cases since schools returned, hospital admissions have remained fairly stable.

BBC Radio Stoke

A former sheltered housing complex in Tunstall will be used as accommodation for homeless people during the winter months.

Lily Gertrude Simister Court was originally set up to support homeless people during the pandemic but that's now been extended until March.

Image source, Google

Stoke-on-Trent City Council Leader, Abi Brown, said it was important the work continued: "During the Covid pandemic we worked really hard as a city to ensure that we could get everybody in first of all and we wanted to continue with that.

"We have a really strong reputation as a city anyway, for being kind and compassionate and supporting homeless off the streets and into accommodation.

"Lily Gertrude has been a fantastic opportunity to demonstrate how we can do that.

The centre's team leader, Natalie Robertson, added: "It's a 24-hour staffed environment with 24-hour security as well to make the residents feel safe and what we offer here is an on-site hub where we've got services from across the city."

BBC Weather

It's forecast to be mild and overcast today, with temperatures due to reach around 20C (68F).

We're expecting that weather to remain into the weekend, with perhaps a little bit more sunshine tomorrow.

You can get a full weather forecast for the area where you live from the BBC Weather page.

Image source, Jilla

Welcome to our live service for Thursday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you, so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, Twitter , externaland Facebook., external

A team of artists are showing how painting and drawing has helped fight addiction.

Planners say the impact on the landscape is outweighed by the proposal's "significant benefits".

All lanes reopen at about 20:15 BST after two HGVs and a car collided on the M42.

That's it for our live coverage today.

We'll be back at 08:00 on Thursday with the latest news, weather, sport and travel.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath East, Lozells and Aston were the hardest hit in terms of excess deaths during the pandemic, Birmingham City Council says.

Although not all deaths were from Covid-19, 40% of those registered in Sparkbrook and Balsall Heath East, the worst affected ward, were due to the virus between April 2020 and March 2021.

The findings, which also state wards with higher Black and Minority Ethnic (BME) populations had higher rates of Covid deaths, have been presented to the local Covid outbreak engagement board and published by the council.

Image source, Getty Images

A total of 2,533 Covid deaths in the city over those 12 months were taken into account as part of the research, although the council has said this figure is “unlikely to have captured all Covid deaths” and may rise.

People working as “skilled trades and technical occupations” – such as warehouse workers and electricians – saw the highest number of Covid deaths at 509, or 20% of the total.

"Caring personal service occupations” – including housewives, care assistants and cleaners – saw the next highest at 503.

People working in “culture, media and sports occupations” had the lowest number of deaths, the paper says.

Making recommendations, the research says there is a need to continue to improve the uptake of Covid-19 vaccines and "compliance with other non-pharmaceutical interventions".

“Continued engagement with at-risk groups in the uptake of health interventions [is recommended]," the report says.

"These include the BME group, people with underlying health conditions and those in the skilled trades and caring personal service occupations.”

BBC Midlands Today

There are "absolutely no plans" to close the A38 Expressway tunnels in Birmingham, the councillor in charge of transport has said, after it was revealed plans are being looked at to encourage drivers to switch to public transport.

The Clean Air Zone (CAZ) already sees some motorists charged to use certain routes in a bid to cut pollution.

But further ideas revealed by the council to combat emissions include stopping traffic from using the A38 Queensway tunnel.

Cabinet member for transport Waseem Zaffar told BBC Midlands Today the plans were not about penalising motorists, but it would be wrong not to consider other options for the tunnels, although any changes would be subject to a lengthy consultation process.

He said: "The sort of things we can look at is do we need a public transport corridor through there? Do we need some green infrastructure through there? Do we need some safer cycling through there?

"There's a long way to go before we get there so there are absolutely no plans, I just want to make this very very clear, to close the A38 tunnels."

People living near Wem Business Park are advised to keep doors and windows shut.

Amateur baker Rochica has become the third contestant to leave the tent on the latest series of The Great British Bake Off.

The 27-year-old junior HR business partner from Birmingham, who is inspired by her Caribbean heritage, was voted off after a few unsuccessful bakes in bread week.

After the elimination, Rochica said: "I have really, really enjoyed it and not everybody gets to bake in the Bake Off tent so I'm proud of where I've got to and I'm just going to keep baking, just don't do anything till that time."

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC Radio WM

The West Midlands Mayor Andy Street has said he was "surprised" the Justice Secretary Dominic Raab appeared to fail to understand the meaning of the word misogyny in an interview about violence against women.

"I think actually we should see what his actions are like," he told the BBC.

"Personally, I'm surprised he didn't understand it, because it's been much discussed, the whole discussion about whether it should be technically termed a hate crime.

"And my own reading of that is that if there is clear intention to discriminate on the basis of any agenda or sexuality issue, which I know isn't misogyny but any issue like that is already a crime."

Louis Watkiss's family pay tribute to the musician who died after he was injured at a ski centre.

BBC Radio CWR

Students at Warwick University who want to see a return of face-to-face lectures are staging a protest on campus later.

Many have been told their lectures will be held online and 2,000 students have signed a petition calling for the university to change its stance.

Image source, Google

Student David Bush who organised the protest said: "We want the university to rectify this and offer students the option of full, in person, teaching."

The university has been contacted for comment.

Peterborough Panthers host Wolverhampton Wolves in the second leg of their Speedway GB Premiership play-off semi-final - listen to BBC Radio WM commentary.

BBC Radio Hereford and Worcester

A care home manager has said the uptake of Covid immunisation among staff is "very high" despite warnings that some homes will be unable to cope if workers are forced to leave.

Back in June, the government announced that coronavirus vaccinations would become compulsory for care home staff across England - and the "no jab, no job" scheme is expected to see 245 staff in Worcestershire and 175 in Herefordshire leaving their jobs on the 11 November deadline.

Melanie Dawson, the manager of the Lawns Nursing Home in Kempsey, said that despite a "major crisis in care" nationwide, the situation there was good.

Image source, Getty Images

"I'm aware of the numbers for other people and I think that we as a home and as a company are in a very good situation," Ms Dawson said.

"One of the things that we did very early on was to talk to our staff around immunisation and where we thought things were going to track to so the uptake for immunisation of my staff team is high."

However, she said the government's rule requiring staff to be double-jabbed came on top of other issues facing the sector.

"I think some people leaving the industry have got fed up of the whole care process and the restrictions that go along with it," she said.

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC Radio WM

West Midlands Mayor Andy Street says transport bosses in Birmingham aren't readying to close the Queensway tunnels, despite details released yesterday by the city council.

The local authority's transport plan suggested rerouting traffic away from the central section of the A38, making room for the creation of new green spaces and allowing areas either side of the road to be connected up better.

"The most important thing is getting good quality public transport and as that policy was being published, I was literally sitting down with the transport secretary talking about this billion-pound-bid to get the cash in for the public transport," Mr Street said.

Image source, Getty Images

"My own view is that we are in no way ready to close the tunnels as yet because we have to have considerable improvement in our public transport before that," Mr Street told the BBC.

"I don't think it's the right thing to do at this stage, but where there is a lot of common agreement is actually about this point that we have to invest massively behind our public transport, and that is exactly what I'm trying to do."

The views echo those of Waseem Zaffar, council cabinet member for transport, who said the plans were the starting point for a discussion about a transport vision for Birmingham.

• Read more: The history behind Birmingham's St Chad's and Queensway tunnels