They comprise Hull, Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester, Newcastle, Sheffield and Sunderland in the north, Birmingham, Derby, Leicester and Nottingham in the Midlands, and Bristol, London, Milton Keynes and Portsmouth in the south.

BBC: 2018 bid chief calls for humility

The group wants to buy Remploy automotive plants in Birmingham, Coventry and Derby which are being sold off by the government.

BBC: Remploy closures: Workers bid to buy factories

The council said a weight restriction had been placed on the bridge which carries the A6 over the Derby to Birmingham railway.

BBC: A6: Derby's London Road Bridge to close for up to a year

The factories in Birmingham, Coventry and Derby were kept open but the government said the sites would be marketed to potential buyers.

BBC: Remploy closures: Workers bid to buy factories

The Finnish 'keeper has an unfortunate back catalogue of clangers, most notably playing for Aston Villa in the second city derby at Birmingham City in 2002, but his howler to hand Pompey victory will live long in the memory.

BBC: McPhail laments cruel Cup defeat

That sparked a spell of pressure from Derby, but it was Birmingham who came close to stretching their lead.

BBC: SPORT | Football | Premier League | Derby 1-2 Birmingham

The enterprise zones previously announced were: Leeds, Sheffield, Birmingham, Bristol, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Derby, Nottingham, the Black Country, the Tees Valley, the West of England and the North East.

BBC: New 'enterprise zones' announced around England

Carsley said he also received offers from Derby and newly-promoted West Brom, but chose recently-relegated Birmingham.

BBC: Carsley passes Birmingham medical

Earlier this year, the government confirmed that the first zones would be based within 11 LEPs led by Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham and Solihull, Sheffield, Leeds, London, the Bristol area, the Black Country, Derby and Nottingham, Teesside and the North East.

BBC: Rotherwas Business Park bid given to government