A swathe of areas in the region will be placed in tier three - the highest alert category.

In case you're just joining us, here's a round-up of the news on post-lockdown tiers.

Five areas of the West Midlands will move in to tier two restrictions once lockdown ends - Worcestershire, Herefordshire, Shropshire, Telford and Wrekin and Cheshire.

All the others will be placed under tougher tier three restrictions.

There will be no parts of the West Midlands returning to tier one, although all this will be reviewed after a fortnight and some areas could be downgraded.

The government has explained the reasoning behind each of the decisions and generally speaking the areas with the higher infection rates and greatest pressure on the local NHS are in tier three.

A number of areas are in a different tier to the one they were in when lockdown started, with Warwickshire showing the biggest shift - up from tier one to tier three.

Simon Gilbert
Political Reporter, BBC Coventry & Warwickshire

Coventry and Warwickshire both enter the most restrictive tier three which I’m sure won’t be welcomed by many businesses and those living in the areas.

It will be a shock particularly to the people in Warwickshire and the politicians there – I think there was a feeling that Warwickshire had a bit of a better grip on rates, particularly in the south of the county, and they thought that they might get away with avoiding those highest level restrictions and may have even got into the lowest – but as it turns out today that’s not the case.

This obviously means a big change for some coming from the lowest restrictions before the national lockdown with restaurants and pubs now having to close.

High case rates of more than 236 per 100,000 people have been put forward by the Department of Health (DoH) , externalas the reason for areas in the West Midlands being in tier three.

All of Birmingham and the Black Country, Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent and Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull have rates currently higher than this.

But the government placed Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin (200 per 100,000), Herefordshire (160.3) and Worcestershire (201) in tier two from the end of lockdown.

For the tier three areas, the DoH added the pressure on the local NHS in those places "remains high".

BBC Weather

A dry day with any low patches of cloud and fog clearing away to leave sunny spells for most areas. There'll be gentle winds, turning chilly after sunset with a high today of 8C/46F.

Image source, BBC Weather Watcher Stormchaser Al

Dry and chilly tonight with clear spells to begin, before large areas of low cloud and fog move in. Low: 2C/36F.

You can get the latest forecast for your area by going to the BBC Weather website.

Local Democracy Reporting Service

Population estimates for Coventry, which have been used to justify the building of thousands of new homes on green belt land, have been criticised by local MPs.

Coventry City Council believes it must accommodate 42,400 homes by 2031 based on ONS figures which suggests a growth in population by 31%.

Image source, UK Parliament

Labour's Taiwo Owatemi and Zarah Sultana have put their names to a letter alongside Conservative colleagues Jeremy Wright, Mark Pawsey and Craig Tracey, who represent Warwickshire constituencies.

The letter, from the countryside campaign group CPRE, challenges the assumptions behind the population growth estimate and asks why it is more than double the average estimated growth of 14% in the West Midlands.

Taiwo Owatemi, the Coventry North West MP, said it "would be tragic to tear up these green spaces".

BBC Weather

A dull and wet start for most with outbreaks of rain which should clear by this afternoon leaving clear skies with some sunny spells. High: 11C/52F.

Image source, BBC Weather Watcher WolgarstonSci

The evening and night should stay dry with clear skies. Turning chilly with a low of 0C/32F.

You can keep up-to-date on the weather for your area by going to the BBC Weather website.

Thomas Coates’s actions not only put officers’ health at risk but that of their families, police say.

It's been a clear, but chilly, day and the BBC Weather Watchers have once again been sharing their photos with us.

These ones were taken in Alcester and Acton Burnell.

Image source, Elle Nino

Image source, Peter Steggles

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

It will by a dull and cloudy day with the possibility of brighter spots later and highs of 12°C (54°F).

Businesses can start bidding for £12bn worth of new contracts on the UK's new high-speed rail line.

HS2 will link the Birmingham with London, with more than 2,000 companies are involved in its construction so far.

Over 350 businesses in the West Midlands have registered for HS2’s four-day virtual event, which will showcase contract opportunities online.

The contracts range in scale and value between £5,000 and £200m.

Rich Davis
BBC Weather presenter

It will be a dry day with some bright spells and highs of 10C (50F).

The latest news, sport, travel and weather across the West Midlands and south Cheshire.

Megan Pollitt died in hospital on Monday after collapsing at her student halls in Cardiff.

Department for Transport figures show 37% of services in the county were at least six minutes late.

Shefali Oza
BBC Midlands Today

After a chilly start it will be a cloudy day with some light rain or drizzle and highs of 10°C (50°F).

BBC Business News

Fashion chains Peacocks and Jaeger have fallen into administration, putting more than 4,700 jobs and almost 500 shops at risk.

Image source, Getty Images

It comes after owner Edinburgh Woollen Mill failed to find a buyer for both businesses.

Jaeger has stores in Stoke-on-Trent and Birmingham.

Peacocks has more than a dozen stores across the region.

Tony Wright, joint administrator of the business from FRP Advisory, said talks with potential buyers were still going on.

The books cover everything from a Shakespeare folio, to titles on horsemanship and duelling.

It will be a cold day with some sunny spells and scattered showers, with highs of 9°C (48°F).

BBC Weather

There'll be some scattered showers around before more light rain spreads eastwards in the afternoon. Rather windy with a high of 14C/57F.

Image source, Chilli3

Then clear spells this evening before turning cloudy in the early hours with a chance again of some scattered showers. Staying blustery with a low of 7C/45F.

You can keep up-to-date on the forecast for your area by going to the BBC Weather website.