Stephanie Barnard
BBC Local Live

Trains between Birmingham and London Euston are delayed after a person was hit by a train.

Network Rail says services are either severely delayed or cancelled.

Birmingham New Street says: "Tickets are being accepted on Chiltern services towards London departing from [Birmingham] Moor Street Station."

London Midland and Virgin Trains services are affected, with services through Warwickshire among those disrupted.

BBC News Travel

A traffic lights failure at Curdworth Island is causing heavy congestion on the M42 between J7, M6 and J9, M6 Toll.

Congestion is back to J5, A452 for Castle Bromwich.

Highways England says vehicles jumping red lights and blocking junctions has affected the sequencing in the area.

There are also reports from West Midlands Police of motorists getting out of their cars.

"How can you not interview him?" - that is the question being asked by a detective who says police must talk to a man who has told the BBC he was part of the group responsible for the Birmingham pub bombings.

John Plimmer was a detective at the scene of the bombings in 1974, but he exercised caution over any assumption that the claims made by IRA man Michael Christopher Hayes would stand up to court scrutiny.

Image source, Getty Images

"Whatever confession [Mr Hayes] makes or any other person makes, my view is it will need strong corroboration to be believed or to stand up in a court of law.

"I think whether he is speaking truthfully or otherwise, it will be the duty of the British police to interview him.

"The element of truth in what he's saying, if there is any, has to be proven beyond all doubt and I think this is where the difficulty will come in," added Mr Plimmer.

"You've got this 40-year bridge that has to be crossed and I should imagine that it will be extremely difficult to find anything that will corroborate anything by this man."

A detective who was at the scene of the Birmingham pub bombings has called for police to interview a man who claims he was part of the group behind the attack.

Explosions at two city centre pubs killed 21 people in November 1974.

John Plimmer said it is now "the duty of the British police to interview" Michael Christopher Hayes.

Mr Hayes, 69, told the BBC he took collective responsibility for the attack and issued an apology.

Steve Hermon
Journalist, BBC WM Sport

The top sports stories for Birmingham and the Black Country this morning include:

• Wolves 'keeper John Ruddy says rising expectations are all part of the excitement at his new club
• Notts Outlaws bowler Luke Fletcher says doctors told him he dodged a bullet with his head injury during Saturday's T20 Blast match at Edgbaston
• Wolverhampton strengthened their hold on a play-off place in the Premiership with a 50-41 win over Rye House at Monmore Green

A man has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving after a fatal motorway pile-up which led to three cars catching fire on the M42.

West Mercia Police said, external officers investigating the Sunday evening crash were questioning a 52-year-old man from Exmouth in Devon.

The driver of one of the cars involved died at the scene on the southbound carriageway between Redditch and Bromsgrove.

Three other people were taken to hospital for treatment.

The family of a 14-year-old girl who died on a school trip when the minibus in which she was travelling collided with a bin lorry has spoken of its pride in her achievements., external

Holly Brown, who was a twin to sister Emma, attended John Taylor High School in Barton-under-Needwood, Staffordshire. She died on Friday following the crash in Castle Vale, Birmingham.

Image source, West Midlands Police handout

BBC Weather

A wet day is in store for many, with patchy rain growing steadily throughout the morning and into the afternoon.

It will feel cooler than yesterday, with highs of about 15C (59F).

The parents and twin sister of 14-year-old Holly Brown say she lived with passion and enthusiasm.

Stephanie Barnard
BBC Local Live

It's a rather grey and damp start to Tuesday morning.

What's in store for the rest of the day? We'll have a full forecast shortly.

I'll be bringing you the latest news, sport, travel and weather updates for Birmingham and the Black Country between now and 18:00.

If you'd like to get in touch, you can reach us on Facebook , externalor tweet @BBCWM, external.

We're back with more news as it happens from 08:00 on Tuesday.

A man living in Dublin who described himself as an IRA "participant" on the night 21 people were killed in the Birmingham pub bombings said he took what he called "collective responsibility" for all the IRA's actions in England.

Michael Christopher Hayes, 69, from Dublin, said he was sorry innocent people were killed in Birmingham more than 40 years ago.

Joe Hambleton, brother of Maxine who was 18 when she died, rejected the comments.

What did he think [bombs in pubs] were going to do? Pop? Just be a little banger and the alarm go off and everyone run out?"

A 69-year-old Dublin man has been speaking about the Birmingham pub bombings to give "the point of view of a participant".

George Jones, son of victim John Clifford Jones, said following the testimony and "apology" of Michael Christopher Hayes, the public was being kept in the dark.

"The facts he has put forward have been in the public domain for a while.

"The fact he is saying he dismantled the third bomb, that was published some time ago.

"But there's one person who comes up again in this documentary that's never been named for security reasons.

"Now that needs opening up in my opinion."

Asked by the BBC whether he planted any of the devices that killed 21 people in the Birmingham pub bombings, IRA bomb maker Michael Christopher Hayes - who claims he defused a third device - replied: "I'm not telling you."

The relatives of some of the victims have been having their say.

Margaret Hambleton, mother of Maxine, who was 18 when she died, said of Mr Hayes: "I don't want to waste my breath on that parasite."

A self-confessed IRA bomb maker who has said he was part of the group responsible for the Birmingham pub bombings has issued an apology.

Today, relatives of some of those killed have been sharing their opinion on what Michael Christopher Hayes has been saying.

Paul Bodman, whose father Stanley was killed, said Mr Hayes chose his words carefully.

"We're getting closer to the truth.

"He's been primed about what to say. He's been told what to say, that's come across quite clearly.

"He's leading us down a cul-de-sac."

An IRA man has apologised for the loss of innocent lives in the Birmingham pub bombings - news to which families of those killed have been reacting.

Paul Rowlands, who lost his father John, said the comments of Michael Christopher Hayes add to rumours.

"I'm not convinced of his role in the pub bombing.

"There's information we've seen that can't be made public that contradicts what he says.

"He just adds more depth and suspicion to the rumours.

"We'd like to see information we have had as families being put out to the public.

"People will go away thinking he did it and we don't need to look further - and we do."

The families of the victims of the Birmingham pub bombings have been reacting to comments from a man who says he was an "active volunteer" with the IRA group responsible.

Julie Hambleton, whose sister Maxine died in the 1974 atrocity, said Mick Hayes had admitted nothing.

'He's a coward, as simple as that.

"He said he does not want to be an informer, he'd rather die? Oh, really? So he's more than happy to help and take collective responsibility for those who were murdered and unarmed, innocents... but he won't tell us who actually did it and also dismisses himself as being party to it?

"He's gutless and spineless… he's told us nothing, he's admitted nothing.

"It's very difficult to have credibility in anybody who's been in with the IRA as they like to rewrite history... so no, not really and if he wants to make claims he needs to bring evidence instead of sitting in a seat feeling comfortable, having had legal advice."

BBC Midlands Today

Is this a tipping point for more information about what happened more than 40 years ago when 21 people were killed in the Birmingham pub bombings?

A BBC journalist warns against holding out too much hope.

Kevin Magee has conducted an interview in which self-confessed IRA bomb maker Michael Christopher Hayes said he was sorry innocent people died in Birmingham in 1974. He would not, though, say what role he played personally in the events.

Mr Magee said he thought the apology was "the last testimony we will hear from anyone involved".

Families of the victims of the Birmingham pub bombings give their reaction to IRA bomb suspect's admission.

BBC Midlands Today

A man has given an interview to the BBC in Northern Ireland in which he says he was an IRA "participant" in the group responsible for the Birmingham pub bombings in 1974.

The IRA has never formally accepted responsibility for the explosions in which 21 people died and no one has been brought to justice.

So why has Michael Christopher Hayes spoken now? The BBC journalist who conducted the interview, Kevin Magee, said it might have something to do with the breakthrough in the inquests into the deaths, although the suspects won't be named in any proceedings.

Kevin said following the decision to reopen the inquests, Mr Hayes may have wanted to "give a version, or his version, of the events in Birmingham that night without incriminating himself".

Mr Hayes would not give detail as to his precise role and when asked directly whether he planted the bombs he said "no comment". He has also claimed he defused a third device on the night.

But, Kevin said, Mr Hayes saw "an opportunity to give perspective on what he says happened".