BBC News Stoke & Staffordshire

Coronavirus infections fell by almost a third in England during the second national lockdown, research suggests.

The latest weekly figures from Public Health England show all 30 local authority areas in the West Midlands again recorded a fall in new cases.

The biggest week-on-week drop was in Lichfield, where the rate fell from 370.4 to 194.7 per 100,000 people for the week up to 25 November.

Stoke-on-Trent and Dudley remain the highest in the region, and among the highest in England, although Dudley saw its rate fall from 506.5 to 338.9.

Both areas are set to enter tier three when lockdown ends on 2 December.

Two people have been arrested after armed police were sent to a caravan park in Stoke-on-Trent.

Officers were responding to reports of disorder at Boathorse Lane in Goldenhill on Saturday night.

A man and woman from the city have since been released on bail, said Staffordshire Police.

The trust that runs Royal Stoke University Hospital says it is seeing "significant pressure" in its critical care department.

Last week, the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust moved its internal incident level to level 4 for Critical Care - the highest available.

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It said it has been receiving support from neighbouring trusts with additional critical care capacity and it was seeing a steady fall in the number of patients requiring a critical care bed.

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Chief Executive Tracy Bullock said the trust had taken action as part of its surge plans "to prioritise urgent and emergency care and ensure our sickest patients receive timely treatment".

Stoke-on-Trent remains has the highest rate of new Covid-19 cases in the West Midlands, and one of the highest in England.

However, the rate of infections in the city have fallen for at least two consecutive weeks and it said that was having a positive impact on reducing the number of people in hospital.

It will be an overcast day with some patchy rain or drizzle and highs of 10°C (50°F).

The Royal Stoke University Hospital says it has reached a point where it has very little capacity in its critical care unit and at times it has had none at all.

It means some seriously ill patients have had to be transferred to other hospitals.

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The chief executive of the University Hospitals of North Midlands NHS Trust, Tracy Bullock, said the positive news was that case numbers "do seem to be coming down".

She added: "We hope that that in the not too distant future will translate into lower numbers in our critical care unit as well."

Fog patches across the West Midlands could cause some travel disruption, the Met Office is warning.

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It has issued a yellow weather warning which is in place until 12:00.

It will be a mostly dry but cold day with some patchy fog yet also bright spells and highs of 4°C (39°F).

Coronavirus rates continue to fall across the West Midlands, the latest figures from Public Health England show.

All 30 local authority areas in the region reported a drop in cases for the week up to and including 22 November..

Stoke-on-Trent, Dudley, Newcastle-under-Lyme and Sandwell recorded the highest figures, with infection rates still in excess of 400 cases per 100,000 people.

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In Stoke-on-Trent, the rate fell to 419.3 per 100,000 people in the week up to 22 November from 552.3 a week earlier.

Six weeks earlier than that however it stood at just 53.8.

Stratford-upon-Avon, which as part of Warwickshire was earlier put into tier three, and Malvern Hills had the lowest rates in the West Midlands.

The co-owner of Port Vale FC said the club was "disappointed" at not being able to have fans back in once lockdown ends next week.

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Earlier this week, the government said fans would be allowed at outdoor events in limited numbers but only in tiers one and two.

With Stoke-on-Trent set to be in tier three, the Vale won't be able to host any supporters.

Co-owner Carol Shanahan said the news was not unexpected and they were "cautiously optimistic" the city could be moved into a lower tier later next month.

She added: "Your club is ready. A huge amount of work has taken place and is taking place to plan for the return of fans to Vale Park.

“We look forward to welcome supporters back home as soon as we are allowed."

The manager of a bingo hall said she just wanted Covid-19 "to be over as soon as we can".

Stoke-on-Trent will be in tier three after lockdown under government plans meaning the Mecca Bingo in the city will stay shut.

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Manager Tony Beverley said it was not just the staff to consider, but also customers, many of whom only go out to play bingo.

"We just want this thing to be over as soon as we can so that we can get back to normal," he told BBC Radio Stoke.

"It is quite a difficult time, some people cope differently but we do absolutely everything we can to make sure people are safe."

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.

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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.

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