Midlands Live: Breaking news and local stories

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There have been 126 cases of the Indian variant in Birmingham out of a total of 167 Covid-positive test results, latest figures show.

Data from the Wellcome Sanger Institute shows the city has 11 cases per 100,000 people in the seven days up to 22 May.

Birmingham has been put on a government "watchlist" as last week the the council’s Local Covid Outbreak Engagement Board were told there'd been a 45% spike in cases, driven by the variant.

Health bosses are warning that it is up to 1.6 times as transmissible as other strains.

Dr Justin Varney, the director of public health with Birmingham City Council, is urging to people to be sensible as restrictions ease and get vaccinated as soon as possible.

Bromsgrove-born Gymshark entrepeneur Ben Francis has been appointed the first patron of Birmingham Women and Children's Hospital Charity.

GymsharkCopyright: Gymshark

Mr Francis's gym-wear brand donated £180,000 to the charity during the pandemic and will now continue his charitable work, raising awareness and funds for the hospital.

"My Mum has worked as a nurse at the Queen Elizabeth in Birmingham all of my life, so I know first-hand how unbelievably hardworking they are and the impact they have on so many people," the 29-year-old said.

"I look forward to working with them to continue to raise awareness and funds for this amazing charity."

A cyclist is in a serious condition following a crash with a car.

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Paramedics were sent to the scene at the junction of Campbell Road and the A5006 in Stoke-on-Trent shortly after 06:00 BST.

"When ambulance crews arrived at the scene they found a cyclist, a man, in a serious condition following a collision with a car," a West Midlands Ambulance spokesperson said.

"The man was given trauma care on scene to help stabilise his condition before he was taken on blue lights to Royal Stoke University Hospital for further emergency care.”

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The number of people waiting more than 52 weeks for surgery at University Hospitals of North Midlands is currently about 7,000, the trust chief executive says.

Tracy Bullock says it's the highest she has ever seen in her 37-year career.

Pre-Covid there was no-one waiting that amount of time, but now it's growing every day, she says.

The trust has opened a new theatre and plans to open another in July as well as using the independent sector more.

In March, about five million patients across England were waiting for surgery - the highest number since modern records began.

Surgeons want specialist hubs in England to help tackle a "colossal backlog" of non-urgent operations because of the pandemic.

Court action is being taken against travellers after they ignored a deadline to leave Stoke Heath Park in Coventry.

Ian RogersCopyright: Ian Rogers

The unauthorised encampment arrived on the site on Valley Road, known as Morris Common, on 26 May.

Around 10 vehicles are believed to have gained access.

Coventry City Council served a notice to leave by Saturday, however the group have remained on site over the Bank Holiday weekend and failed to follow the order.

Action is now being taken through the High Court, the council said.

A council spokesman added : “Last Friday the council served a notice to the Travellers asking them to vacate the site by 11:00 BST on Saturday 29 May.

“This notice was not complied with and the council will now continue to court to begin formal eviction proceedings."

A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday morning.

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Birmingham Commonwealth Games has opened applications for more than 13,000 volunteers.

Birmingham 2022Copyright: Birmingham 2022

The Games will kick off next July and organisers said they are looking for people from across the region to be "the public face of Birmingham 2022".

Volunteers are needed for a wide range of jobs from driving, first aid, courtside assistance and meet and greet.

Applications are open from today and interviews are due to take place from September.

An expectant mother said she is "filled with anxiety" after it was revealed there are no current plans to reintroduce births at Stafford's County Hospital.

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The Freestanding Midwifery Birthing Unit was closed last year due to coronavirus, with staff relocated to the Royal Stoke Hospital.

Fewer than 100 babies a year were being born there before the pandemic and the University Hospitals North Midlands Trust, which operates the hospital, said decisions over the unit's future remain under review.

It means Leah Harris will have to travel to Stoke-on-Trent to give birth.

"The thought of having to sit in traffic to go to Stoke in pain, in labour, is filling me with quite a bit of anxiety," she said. "Especially when we have a fully working hospital here too with all of the equipment."

Birmingham's Clean Air Zone, which charges high-polluting vehicles entering the city centre, has come into force

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The scheme, which aims to reduce pollution, uses number plate recognition cameras to capture images of vehicles driven within the perimeter of the inner ring road.

The most polluting will be charged, with fees for cars, taxis and vans set at £8 while HGVs will trigger a £50 fee.

Click here for all you need to know about the charges and changes.