Sutton Coldfield

After a clear and cold start clouds increase with the chance of some patchy rain later with highs 4C to (45°F).

Police in the West Midlands are receiving about 180 reports of Covid rule breaches every day.

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The Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson said the rules are becoming "more challenging" to enforce.

Most breaches are happening in homes but also in licensed and commercial premises, he said.

The Mayor of the West Midlands has appealed for greater support for the hospitality industry as the majority of the region prepares to enter tier three restrictions.

When lockdown lifts on Wednesday, hospitality businesses in Birmingham and the Black Country, Solihull, Coventry, Warwickshire, Stoke-on-Trent and Staffordshire, will only be able to offer a takeaway or delivery service.

In a letter to Chancellor Rishi Sunak, Andy Street said the industry expected about 80% of pubs and bars to be put into a "perilous position" over the coming months.

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Mr Street says larger and medium size businesses cannot survive on monthly grants capped at £3,000 and has asked Mr Sunak to increase the value of grant support.

He has also asked him to introduce more long-term measures, and consider additional support.

Mr Street has also called for more detail to be provided to businesses on how tier decisions are made.

"Now, as we enter its final months, we must request this further urgent action," he said.

"Your support now will ensure that these businesses and livelihoods are protected."

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.

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

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.

More trees could be planted across Birmingham as part of the city council's plans to become carbon neutral by 2030.

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There are proposals to increase canopy coverage by 25% across the area which at the moment can vary from ward to ward.

The plans also include increasing pedestrianisation in the city, more cycle lanes and 9,000 electric vehicle charging points in the next 10 years.

The proposed actions have been set out by the council's Route to Zero taskforce.

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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A move into tier three was widely expected in the West Midlands conurbation.

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Although rates of coronavirus have been falling, they remain high and hospitals in the region are still under strain.

Political leaders have told me they are hopeful a fall in cases which they have been seeing will continue and that a move to tier two could be on the cards in mid December.

People in the West Midlands are being urged to "think about one last heave" by mayor Andy Street over the new Covid-19 restrictions set to be introduced after lockdown.

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The government has set out the coronavirus tier system for after lockdown with the whole of Birmingham and the Black Country facing the toughest restrictions.

Mr Street told BBC Radio WM he understood why people had might have had enough of restrictions.

"We've had this for nine months. I would ask everyone to think about one last heave. There is light at the end of the tunnel," he said.

"We've got to continue to do what we are doing, so that in two weeks time we are looking at a lowering of our tiers."

A "clear roadmap" is needed out of the new Covid-19 tier restrictions, the leader of Birmingham City Council has said.

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The city has been placed in the toughest tier - tier three - meaning households can only meet other households in outdoor public spaces like parks, where the rule of six applies.

Hospitality venues - such as bars, pubs, cafes and restaurants - must close, except for delivery and takeaway services.

The government said the tiers would be regularly reviewed, but city council leader Ian Ward tweeted they needed to know how to come out of them.

"We need a clear roadmap out of these restrictions and a meaningful package of support for jobs and businesses," he said.

"The crisis faced by hospitality businesses across Birmingham is of particular concern."

"Many businesses in this previously thriving sector are warning they may not survive the coming months if dealt the double blow of more restrictions and inadequate financial support."

A decision is due later today on which tiers each part of the West Midlands will be placed in when the national lockdown ends on Wednesday.

Most of England is expected to be placed in the two toughest tiers of coronavirus restrictions which have been beefed up since the previous tier system was used.

Differences between the tiers include limits on where households can meet up - for instance, in the new tier one, the rule of six applies indoors and out. In tier two, the rule of six remains outdoors but there is no household mixing indoors.

We will let you know as soon as we can which tier your part of the West Midlands is in here on the live page.

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