Ged Scott
BBC Sport

Aston Villa are now just one game away from a return to the Premier League after holding Middlesbrough to a 0-0 draw and winning their play-off semi-final over two legs.

Leading 1-0 from the first leg, Stewart Downing's 89th-minute free-kick against the bar was as close as Boro came to forcing extra time.

Image source, ALLSPORT/Getty Images

It came on a night when Aston Villa paid tribute to former player Jlloyd Samuel, who died in a car crash on Wednesday.

A minute's applause was held at Villa Park before the match and supporters sang "there's only one Jlloyd Samuel" during the tribute.

BBC Business News

The big four accounting firms have been attacked by MPs for approving Carillion's accounts despite its spiralling debts.

In their report, the Work and Pensions and Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) committees said the financial companies had failed to raise questions and been paid millions in some cases for "failed turnaround advice".

Image source, Reuters

But a KPMG spokesman said it believed it had conducted its audits of Carillion "appropriately", and Ernst & Young said it was "extremely disappointed that despite all efforts the business was not rescued".

Deloitte said it was "disappointed with the conclusions of the committees" while PwC defended its role as official receiver.

In January, the Wolverhampton-based construction giant went bust with a £1.5bn debt pile.

It employed 43,000 people, about 20,000 of them in the UK, thousands of whom have lost their jobs.

BBC Midlands Today

Singer Beverley Knight will be officially given the honour of the Freedom of the City of Wolverhampton today.

Image source, Getty Images

The artist was born in the city to Jamaican parents and the city council says the move is in recognition of her "eminent services" , externalto the city.

She has a list of accolades to her name, including an MBE and three MOBO awards.

Stoke-on-Trent Live

The Stoke-on-Trent Live website has these headlines this morning:

• Man stabbed three times in horrific gang attack in city centre park, external
• Major shake-up of how Staffordshire Police will tackle crime is revealed, external
• Council splashes out £175k on new bins in just 12 months, external

Local Democracy Reporting Service
David Irwin

Thousands of residents in Solihull with cracked wheelie bins are being warned it could be several more weeks before they're replaced.

The borough council says it's been inundated with requests for replacements because of a major manufacturing fault.

The defect, which means the bins are prone to splitting, first became apparent to the authority in 2015, but it says the cold winter has seen a dramatic increase in reports.

Residents can now get a free replacement by reporting their problem online , externalbut the council, which says the supplier's covering the cost, adds that it could take up to 20 days to get one.

BBC News England

The family of a man murdered five years ago are appealing for information to find his killer on what would have been his 29th birthday.

Image source, Family Handout

Tom Kirwan, 23, died in July 2012 after an altercation between a large group of people outside the former Uberra nightclub in Wolverhampton.

No-one has been charged over the Wolverhampton man's death.

A reward of £20,000 is now being offered for information leading to the conviction of his killer.

Superstitious Shrewsbury Town fans who are hoping the club can break its Wembley play-offs hoodoo might be encouraged to hear it's been allocated the East dressing room this time.

They had the West dressing room when they lost to Bristol Rovers in the 2007 League Two play-offs and again when they lost to Gillingham in 2009.

Image source, Getty Images

The club is putting tickets for the match on general sale from 08:00 on Wednesday.

People in part of Birmingham may have lost their water supply this morning, Severn Trent Water warns.

The firm says there's a burst water pipe on Pershore Road, Selly Oak., external

BBC Business News

Carillion's board presided over a "rotten corporate culture" and was culpable for its "costly collapse", two committees of MPs have concluded.

They also accused the government and big four accounting firms of failing to stop Britain's second biggest construction firm, which was based in Wolverhampton, from going under.

Image source, PA

The MPs said regulators should now consider banning the former directors from serving on other company boards.

Carillion collapsed under a £1.5bn debt pile in January.

Former chairman of the firm, Philip Green, said: "The board always sought to make decisions on the best available information and with the best professional advice; furthermore we always strived to act in the interests of the company and all its stakeholders."

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

There's been some rain around this morning for parts of the West Midlands - here's how the rest of the day's looking:

If you want a weather forecast for your area at any other time, head to the BBC Weather website.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Welcome to our live service for Wednesday.

BBC Weather Watcher KarenJ's already been up and taken this photograph in the Kings Norton area:

Image source, KarenJ

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,Twitter , externaland Facebook, external.

Tom Kirwan's killer has never been found while six people were jailed for public order offences.

Aston Villa reach the Championship play-off final as they hold onto a first-leg lead in a goalless draw with Middlesbrough.

A fireworks factory owner told a court one of his employees may have been the cause of the fire.

Andy Giddings
BBC News

We'll be back with the news, sport, travel and weather from 07:00 on Wednesday.

Phil Bowers
Journalist, BBC Radio Stoke

A bed shop in Stoke-on-Trent's confirmed it has closed "until further notice".

Earlier, we told you that customers of In2Beds on Etruria Road, Hanley, have been left concerned after finding it shut since the weekend.

The shop's windows were covered in whitewash and had a sign pointing people to a phone number. Several people told the BBC they'd tried it without success.

This evening, In2Beds' website, external has changed to a notice saying it's shut the store in Hanley and one in Taunton, and that it'll contact all customers "in due course".

Image source, In2Beds

Sophie Calvert
Political Reporter, BBC Radio Stoke

Sixteen jobs could go at two schools as the trust running them has forecast debts of £3m.

Image source, Google

The University Academy Kidsgrove and the University Primary Academy, both in Staffordshire, are affected.

The University of Chester Academy Trust, which runs the pair and five other schools, says it's looking at the possibility of someone else taking them over.

It's blaming the problems on a struggle to attract enough pupils. It has been told by the government that it must improve its finances.

BBC WM Sport

BBC WM understands that Jonny Evans missed West Bromwich Albion's last game of the season on Sunday after amicable talks with caretaker boss Darren Moore.

Image source, Getty Images

Reports elsewhere had suggested that Evans informed Moore by text message, external that he would not be available to play.

The Baggies ended their eight-year stay in the top flight by finishing bottom after the defeat to Crystal Palace at the weekend.

Local Democracy Reporting Service
Carl Jackson

A new club's set to open at a nightspot in Birmingham after a previous nightclub lost its licence after two drug-related deaths in two years.

Image source, Google

The city council revoked Rainbow Venues' licence in November saying "public safety was at risk" after teenagers Michael Trueman and Dylan Booth both died after visiting the club in Lower Trinity Street, Digbeth.

Police had objected to The Mill launching at the site but have now reached a compromise with new owners MJR over the operating hours.

Because of the amendments to their application, the city council and West Midlands Police withdrew their objections.

Worcestershire County Council is planning to spend £5m over the next two years in an attempt to ease traffic congestion.

The work will include a complete redesign of the City Walls Road, Sidbury and Commandary Road interchange in Worcester (pictured below).

Image source, Google

Other projects will include the A442 Worcester Road just outside Kidderminster; the junction of Icknield Drive and Warwick Highway in Redditch and a section of Worcester Road in Bromsgrove.