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´óÏó´«Ã½ Midlands Today

Losing hospital staff to Covid-19 over the past year has been "incredibly sorrowful and harrowing", a matron said.

Since the pandemic started, more than 600 health and social care workers have caught Covid-19 and died across England, Scotland and Wales.

Matron Colette Iles, at University Hospitals Birmingham, said it had been an incredibly tough 12 months for NHS workers.

"We have lost some truly amazing individual staff. There is not one person who has not been harmed or bruised by the events of the last year," she said.

The moped the teenager was on is believed to have been involved in a collision with a car.

Royle Family actor Ricky Tomlinson, who was jailed for his union activism, says he has no regrets.

Azam Mangori tells the court Lorraine Cox died after taking drugs and he tried to revive her.

Darren Round was found in February 2020 in a Birmingham canal with severe facial injuries.

A teenage moped rider who was seriously injured in a suspected hit-and-run has now died, police said.

The 16-year-old is believed to have been a pillion passenger on a moped in Rocky Lane, Perry Barr, just before 19:20 GMT on Tuesday, when it was involved in a collision with a car, West Midlands Police said.

The car made off from the scene and the force has begun an investigation to trace it and its occupants.

The teenager suffered a serious head injury in the crash and died in hospital on Wednesday afternoon, the force said.

Police said several people had told officers another moped had been ridden in tandem with the bike, while the rider was also spotted leaving the scene.

Det Insp Adam Jobson has encouraged the driver of the car to come forward.

“We’ve spoken to several people as we try and piece together a clear picture of what happened − and we are in the process of seizing and examining CCTV in the area," he added.

We're forecast cloud with some light rain this morning and temperatures could reach 12C (54F).

There will also be a light breeze and overnight temperatures will fall to about 6C (43F).

Image source, Tee Lake Watcher

´óÏó´«Ã½ Midlands Today

The pressures on NHS staff in the West Midlands to cope with huge numbers of Covid-19 patients over the past year have been greater than anywhere else in England, a hospital boss said.

A year on from the first lockdown, thousands have been treated by the University Hospitals Birmingham trust, with 2,669 dying with the virus.

On Tuesday, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Midlands Today health correspondent Michele Paduano was given exclusive access to the intensive care unit at Birmingham's Queen Elizabeth Hospital.

It currently has 24 patients, but in January staff were treating 165.

Specialist Dr Nick Murphy said: "We were at one point getting more than 10 admissions a day and it was just chaos, 24 hours at a time."

Chief executive Dr David Rosser said his trust had had more patients than any other part of the country but often got overlooked compared to London and the north of England.

"There has been lots of narrative about the north and I think the impact on our region, on our population and by definition on our staff has been greater than anywhere else."

Using pitchside saliva tests to diagnose concussion is a step closer after a "game-changing" trial in rugby union.

Welcome to our live service for Wednesday.

We'll be bringing you all the news, sport, travel and weather for the West Midlands.

We love to hear from you, so share your news, thoughts and photos of the area with us via email, and

Oliver Banfield's curfew sentence for assaulting Emma Homer sparked criticism he was not jailed.

Our live coverage have now ended for the day.

We'll be back with you with all the news, sport, travel and weather from 08:00 on Wednesday.

David Gregory-Kumar
Science correspondent, ´óÏó´«Ã½ Midlands Today

You are three times more likely to die of Covid-19 in the West Midlands if you live in a poor area,

Image source, PA Media

During the past year there have been 14,623 deaths in the region which is a rate of 246 deaths per 100,000 people.

Birmingham had the highest number of people with coronavirus on the death certificate with 2,873, followed by Sandwell and then Walsall.

Malvern Hills had the lowest death rate with 141, followed by North Warwickshire and Rugby.

The number of excess deaths in the West Midlands can also be divided up into how deprived an area is.

The most deprived areas saw 4,641 excess deaths - with the least deprived 1,569.

Firefighters were called to a severe fire at a flat in Birmingham city centre earlier.

Image source, @ShauninBrum

Fire crews were initially called to the fire on the first floor of a six-storey Southside complex on Hurst Street shortly after 14:30.

All occupants of the flat have been accounted for, said the fire service.

The judge says the defendant used "grossly disproportionate violence" in the Leamington Spa attack.

The Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer, is among the people reacting to the news that 14 members of the Shrewsbury 24 have had their convictions overturned.

He to say it was a "huge victory" and added, "It's taken unimaginable determination to ensure justice, finally, prevailed."

Image source, PA Media

The Unite general secretary Len McCluskey said: "We salute the heroic men and their families and their enormous courage in taking on the apparatus of the state in order to clear their names."

Other union leaders also tweeted their congratulations.

The Criminal Cases Review Commission, which sent the cases of 14 of the picketers back to the Court of Appeal, tweeted: "We are interested in hearing from remaining members of Shrewsbury 24."

A 16-year-old boy is in a critical condition following a hit-and-run incident in Birmingham last night.

Officers were called to reports that a moped had crashed on Rocky Lane, Perry Barr just before 19:20, seriously injuring the rider.

Police say they're investigating reports of two mopeds being ridden in tandem when one might have been rammed by a car.

The pillion passenger and two teenagers from the second moped are helping officers with inquiries.

Thousands of people have retweeted Emmeline Hartley's story after she shared it to warn others.

A book of memories has been launched by Birmingham City Council on the anniversary of the coronavirus lockdown.

The city has experienced "difficult times" over the pat 12 months, it said.

Families are able to record their experiences digitally.

Some people in their 40s got texts saying appointments were cancelled due to a "national shortfall".