BBC News Stoke & Staffordshire

The latest figures from Public Health England show the number of new Covid-19 cases is continuing to fall right across the West Midlands.

Nationwide, researchers said infections fell by almost a third during the second national lockdown.

Stoke-on-Trent continues to have the highest infection rate in the region, but saw it fall to 353.4 per 100,000 people for the week up to 26 November, from 482.9 a week earlier.

Dudley and Sandwell also have rates in excess of 300 per 100,000 people.

All of the West Midlands, except for Shropshire, Herefordshire and Worcestershire will enter tier three when lockdown ends on Wednesday.

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.