West Midlands: Three things you wanted to know

People have been using Your Questions to ask us what they want to know about the West Midlands.

You asked about Warwickshire's involvement in the West Midlands Combined Authority.

You wanted to know if the M6 had reopened after a police incident and where the ancient ford was in Hereford.

Here is how we got on with answering your questions.

Why have Warwickshire County Council included Warwickshire in this West Midlands Mayor system?

Seven councils have signed up to be part of the West Midlands Combined Authority (WMCA), to work together on region-wide issues including transport and housing.

Birmingham, Coventry, Dudley, Sandwell, Solihull, Walsall and Wolverhampton councils joined in a devolution deal worth £40m a year for the next 30 years and now have an elected mayor.

Warwickshire County Council is a non-constituent member of the West Midlands Combined Authority

In May last year, Warwickshire County Council voted to become a non-constituent member, meaning it doesn't have voting rights.

It plans to become a full member once it has agreed a deal with the WMCA and the government, but not before talking to residents, the council said.

Has the M6 been fully opened after the pedestrian incident on Tuesday?

A reader got in touch to ask when the Aston Expressway and the M6 between junctions five and six around Spaghetti Junction in Birmingham reopened, after police closed it on Tuesday morning.

There were severe delays after police closed roads around Spaghetti Junction in Birmingham

The motorway was closed in both directions for nearly three hours while police went to the aid of a pedestrian on a bridge, the Express & Star reported.

West Midlands Police had thanked the public for their patience.

Where is the ancient ford in Hereford?

The Hereford Guild of Guides, which takes people around the city's many historic sites, says there was not one, but two ancient fords across the River Wye.

The first is known as the Palace Ford, because it crossed the river near the site of the Bishop's Palace.

Palace Ford is believed to date back to Roman times and is where the city gets its name from, says Margaret Kemp, one of the volunteer guides

The guild says the other ford was outside the city walls and was known as the Castle Ford.

It crossed the River Wye in the same place as the current Victoria Bridge.

Hereford Castle, which was dismantled in 1746 with the site being turned into Castle Green, would have stood on the opposite bank to the tree in the picture below.

If you look further to the left of the tree you can see Hereford's own Nelson's Column above the tree line

The Guild of Guides says the Castle Ford was the one used by Welsh people to drive their cattle across the river, when Hereford was a border town in the volatile Marches region.

There is an urban myth that there is a law allowing locals to shoot Welshmen crossing the river on a Sunday.

Have you got a question about the West Midlands?

It could be a burning issue, or something you've always wondered about.

Use the tool below to send us your question and we could be in touch.