West Bromwich is the second most deprived town in England, an official study into housing and poverty has found.

Walsall and Birmingham ranked fourth and fifth respectively in a list of the ten most deprived areas in the country.

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC WM

Questions were asked of Highways England over why it took so long to identify the resurfacing work that was needed. It was also criticised for discrepancies in its own internal debrief report. 

It did defend the fact that Operation Freeway - the free use of the M6 toll - wasn't instigated, saying that current guidance suggested the measure should only be considered for 48-hour closures, on approval of the Transport Secretary. It confirmed this was now under review.

West Midlands Police's chief constable, Dave Thompson, earlier told the hearing any of the agencies involved could have declared a major incident. Police did not because they thought the humanitarian impact was insufficient, despite the fact he was sat in the delays himself for hours.

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC WM

Highways England has admitted it should have declared a major incident following chaos on the M6 after a fatal accident near Birmingham shut the road for 24 hours.

A hearing has been listening to evidence from West Midlands Police, local authorities and Highways England.

Some motorists were stuck for more than nine hours after the crash between two lorries and a car, with the cost to the regional economy put at an estimated "tens of millions of pounds". 

Moseley, The Jewellery Quarter and Lichfield have been named as some of the best places to live in the country. 

The Sunday Times guide, external uses data such as crime rates, house prices and local knowledge to form the list. 

Image source, Google

BBC Sport

Fifa has given Aston Villa midfielder Jack Grealish permission to play for England.

In September the 20-year-old opted to play for England over the Republic of Ireland and had been awaiting clearance from world football's governing body.

Grealish played for the Republic at under-21s level but turned down a call-up to the senior squad for a friendly against England in June.

Image source, Getty Images

The 18-year-old victim of last night's fatal shooting in Birmingham has been named locally as Kenichi Phillips.

Here's more from Det Supt Mark Payne. He's been speaking about the family of last night's shooting victim:

Alex Homer
BBC Local Live

If you are just catching up on Friday's news, here are our headlines so far:

- An 18-year-old man has been shot dead in Birmingham - the city's fourth fatal shooting in under six months

- An undetonated explosive has been found at a site where 370 homes are being built in Chasetown

- A 24-hour closure of the M6 following a fatal crash 'probably cost the region tens of millions of pounds'

We will have more details as soon as we have them.

Police have been speaking about last night's fatal shooting of a teenager - described in the last few minutes as being from the Midlands, originally from Birmingham.

Det Supt Mark Payne said: "This was a tragic event and we've seen too many of these events and distraught mothers in these circumstances." 

Phil Mackie
Midlands correspondent, BBC News

Det Supt Mark Payne, of West Midlands Police, told me it was "too early to speculate" whether last night's fatal shooting in Ladywood was gang-related.

He said he recognised there had been a "recent surge of gun crime" in the city, but could not pinpoint a single root cause. He stressed the force had made 80 firearms-related arrests this year and taken 38 guns off the streets.

He said he had worked at the force when gun crime was rife and said cuts had not affected police response.

He said: "I was doing those jobs 10 years ago and I can tell you there were no more resources then than there are now."

Phil Mackie
Midlands correspondent, BBC News

Community campaigner, Desmond Jaddoo, told BBC at the scene of the shooting in Ladywood: “There are times when it [gun crime] appears to be treated as the flavour of the month.

“There are knife bins all around the place but if anyone knows someone who has a gun, we need them to encourage others to hand them in.”

Crumbs - it's Batman v Superman in cake form.

Rose Macefield from Dudley has spent more than 10 weeks crafting these life-sized versions of the superheroes. 

They are on display at Cake International at Birmingham's NEC until 17:00 on Sunday.

Image source, One Voice Media

Kathryn Stanczyszyn
Political Reporter, BBC WM

Local councils have been giving evidence to the hearing into disruption on the M6 last month about what they knew of the crash.

None, they say, were contacted about traffic management - and that includes Coventry, Solihull, Wawickshire and Birmingham authorities.

We are now hearing questions as to why asphalt used for the repairs in the wake of the crash came from Leicestershire, instead of the nearest potential source near Wolverhampton.

The hearing continues.

Aston Villa chairman Steve Hollis has told us that Tom Fox left as CEO of the club because he was looking for "more football gravitas". 

Villa announced that Mr Fox was going yesterday and earlier this week the Sporting Director Hendrik Almstadt was shown the door.

Mr Hollis said recent recruits to the board, former FA chairman David Bernstein, Villa legend Brian Little and former Governor of the Bank of England Mervyn King - Baron King of Lothbury - were the right people for the future.

Remi Garde has also been described as "one of the best managers in Europe" by the chairman, although he could not guarantee he would be there next season.

The Police and Crime Commissioner for the West Midlands has told a hearing into the disruption which followed a fatal M6 crash that delays "probably cost the region tens of millions of pounds".

David Jamieson said it caused "reputational damage to the West Midlands" as "inwards investors would not want to come to a place where roads could be clogged up for hours and hours".

Supt Paul Keasey, head of Central Motorway Police Group, said in the first seven hours of the 24-hour closure, the crash area was treated as a crime scene and needed to be sealed off to preserve "valuable evidence".

He has faced questioning over whether Highways England could have been allowed to access the diesel spill and assess the state of the carriageway during that seven-hour period.

The hearing continues.

Last night's shooting in Ladywood is the fourth fatal shooting in the city since October last year.

They include:

 - 1 October 2015 - Connor Smith, 19, on Hawksley Estate, Kings Norton  

- 30 October 2015 - Derek Junior Myers, 25, in Hockley

- 3 February 2016 - Akhtar Javeed, 56, in a warehouse raid in Digbeth.

Police in January expressed "great concerns" over a spike in gun crime in Birmingham.

Overall, gun crime figures dropped from 524 in 2014 to 357 in 2015.

Aston Villa are starting the search for a new CEO this morning after Tom Fox stepped down yesterday with immediate effect.

He worked closely with owner Randy Lerner, who put the club up for sale last May, but is yet to find a buyer.

The resignation of American Fox after 18 months at the Premier League's bottom club follows the departure, external of sporting director Hendrik Almstadt and three new appointments to the board.

Image source, Rex Features

Fans calling the West Midlands Football Phone-in last night were delighted Fox was going, but were now calling for head of recruitment Paddy Riley to go too.

Louise Hancock
Newsreader, BBC WM

A hearing has begun into the aftermath of a crash which closed the M6 for almost 24 hours last month. 

A 26-year-old man died after the crash on 4 February but there was criticism over how long it took to get the traffic moving again and drivers were caught in congestion for hours.

Image source, Pete Saull

Councils, West Midlands Police and Highways England will be at today's hearing which has been organised by the West Midlands Police and Crime Commissioner David Jamieson.  

Here's a picture from the scene in Ladywood where a teenager was shot dead last night: