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