Walsall Council is aware of a further instance of the South African variant form of COVID-19 in the borough following routine sequencing of positive COVID-19 tests.

The case is not linked to the previously identified cases in the borough or to international travel, and further targeted testing is planned to gather as much information as we can to aid better understanding of the new variant and help suppress and control the spread of COVID-19 in Walsall.

Willenhall residents, businesses and the wider community are being encouraged to share their views on the future of the town and surrounding area.

Walsall residents are being warned to remain vigilant as criminals begin to take advantage of the roll out of the COVID-19 vaccine to commit fraud.Some residents have received an email from scammers posing as the NHS inviting them to book for a COVID-19 vaccination. The vaccine is only available on the NHS and is free of charge. The NHS will never ask you for details about your bank account or to pay for the vaccine. If you receive an email, text message or phone call purporting to be from the NHS and you are asked to provide financial details, this is a scam.