A former detective at West Midlands Police says paying more than £1m to informants over the last five years is good value for money. 

James - not his real name - called the phone in with Vic Minett, after a Freedom of Information request by the BBC revealed around £2m had been spent paying people for details of crime across the whole region. 

He says the spending is value for money.

Image source, Thinkstock

Lichfield Mercury

Staffordshire Police are appealing to anyone in Lichfield or Burntwood who may have been offered brand new New Look clothes at discounted prices to come forward.

Port Vale want a permanent deal for on-loan Birmingham City striker Alex Jones, says chairman Norman Smurthwaite

Cannock Mercury

People in Lichfield and Burntwood are being reminded to only buy fireworks from registered shops in the run-up to bonfire night events., external

Elizabeth Glinka
BBC Midlands Today

On Midlands Today this lunchtime we'll hear from one of the region's MPs who wants an independent review into child sexual exploitation in the town she represents.

There's also news on 12 days of travel disruption for train passengers on one of the Midlands routes. 

Plus we'll hear from a Syrian refugee who arrived in the West Midlands in January who is hoping to realise his dream of becoming a professional footballer.

Those stories and more along with your lunchtime weather forecasts on BBC One from 13:30.

A broken rail at London Marylebone is causing disruption to services to and from the station, the National Rail website, external reports.

Chiltern services, which call at Stratford-upon-Avon, Leamington Spa, Warwick and Birmingham, may be delayed by up to 70 minutes, revised or cancelled.

Disruption is expected to continue until approximately 15:30

The rail line between Bromsgove and Birmingham will be closed for 12 days as work starts on a £100m project, which will see the line electrified and signalling improved.

Here is a slideshow of images from Network Rail of the work beginning.

A Liberty Human Rights Award will be given to families of the 1974 bombing victims after their campaign to get inquests reopened.

Stephanie Barnard
BBC Local Live

Wolves general manager Andrea Butti has left the club.

Wolves have released a statement saying, external: "Andrea, who had previously worked in similar roles at Inter Milan and Monaco, had been co-ordinating the activities of the first team and technical staff."

Yesterday afternoon Wolves announced that Walter Zenga had been released as manager.

Alexandra Hamilton
BBC Weather

We will see some bright spells through the day despite a grey start.

Still feeling mild for the time of year with highs of 16C.

Tim Bowler
Business reporter, BBC News

The government may have decided to go ahead with Heathrow's third runway, but what about the country's regional airports.

Image source, Birmingham Airport

Last month the airport announced it was spending £100m on improvements to its facilities and infrastructure - on top of the £300m it has invested in recent years - and two years ago it extended its runway to 3,000m.  

While the Airports Commission rejected the need for immediate expansion at Birmingham, saying the airport would not be operating at capacity until the mid-2040s, it left the door open for a rethink once the impact of HS2, which will have a stop at the airport, on travel patterns had become clearer.

Royal Sutton Coldfield Observer

How immoral can anyone be?' was the cry after a garden created for disabled children in Erdington was damaged by shameless vandals., external

Image source, Stockland Green NHT

BBC WM

More than £1m has been spent on police informants by West Midlands Police over the last five years - more than half of the total amount spent across the whole region (£2m).

The force says other organisations are also paying and rewarding informants but they wouldn't tell us who else is involved, saying it could harm their "close relationship".

Birmingham Mail

Parents have found a new place for their children's creations - other than the fridge., external

BBC Midlands Today

The families of those killed in the Birmingham pub bombings are to be honoured for their work.

Independent human rights organisation, Liberty, is recognising their 42-year campaign for justice.

Families, including the Hambletons who lost their sister Maxine in the bombings, have campaigned to get inquests into the deaths re-opened.

Image source, PA

More than 180 people were injured and 21 killed when two devices exploded in the city centre in 1974. 

The bombing on 21 November 1974 is widely acknowledged to have been the work of the IRA.

The original hearings, opened days after the attacks, were not continued after the jailing of six men, whose convictions were later quashed.

The inquest into the deaths is due to be re-opened next month.

Building a third runway at Heathrow Airport will make it harder to expand Birmingham in the future, according to a Midlands-based business expert.

The Heathrow plan was announced yesterday and has resulted in MP Zac Goldsmith quitting Parliament, forcing a by-election. 

David Bailey, told the BBC "regional airport hubs" would be ideal for boosting trade and economy. 

Image source, Getty Images

BBC WM Sport

The search begins this morning for Wolves' third manager in as many months after Walter Zenga left yesterday. 

The Italian lasted just 87 days and 17 games, losing seven of the last 11. 

Zenga's assistant Stefano Cusin has also gone, with first team coach Rob Edwards taking over for this weekend's trip to Blackburn. 

Sam Allardyce and former Olympiakos coach Marco Silva are amongst the early favourites to replace Zenga.

You can have your say on the football phone tonight on BBC WM from 17:30.

Warwickshire's footballer turned cricketer Keith Barker would seriously consider playing for the West Indies.

Nearly £2m has been spent by police forces across the West Midlands over the past five years on police informants. 

"Covert human intelligence sources," as informants are officially termed, provide information on criminal activity.

Image source, AP

Individual police forces have refused to go into specific detail of how the money was spent, but say it was vital in tackling a whole range of criminal activity.

West Midlands Police spent £1m over five years which is more than double the amount spent by the Staffordshire and West Mercia forces.