That's it from Local Live on Thursday. Join us from 08:00 on Friday for more news, sport, travel and weather.

Tom Fox's resignation as Aston Villa CEO follows the departure of director of football Hendrik Almstadt earlier in the week.

Chairman Steve Hollis said: "The board would like to place on record its appreciation to Tom for his many contributions and commitment over the last 18 months. 

"While the results this season have been disappointing he and his team have worked hard to put in place many changes necessary to put the club on a more sustainable path for the future. He leaves with our best wishes for the future."

All the reaction to the news Tom Fox is stepping down with immediate effect as CEO at Aston Villa, and more stories.

A man who posed as a police officer to con his way into the homes of four elderly people before stealing cash has been jailed.

Jason Fellowes, 38, convinced residents he was investigating past burglaries to gain entry to their homes, Birmingham Crown Court heard.

Image source, West Midlands Police

The Stechford man was caught using DNA evidence from a stubbed cigarette.

Fellowes had denied but later admitted four counts of burglary and was jailed for four years and nine months.

Rebecca Wood
BBC Midlands Today

Today we have got some blue skies and a few wisps of cloud, but that will lift as we go through the afternoon.

It will be chilly and frosty tonight. Find out what is in store for us tomorrow too.

Alex Homer
BBC Local Live

Here are the top stories in the BBC WM newsroom on Thursday afternoon:

- Aston Villa CEO Tom Fox has quit the club

- Posters have been discovered in Birmingham which falsely name two men as paedophiles

- A couple found dead in a car were due to face child sex offence charges that day, a court has said

BBC Travel

There is slow traffic on Goldthorn Hill between the junction with Dudley Road and the junction with Penn Road in Wolverhampton in the roadworks area.

Outgoing CEO Tom Fox told Aston Villa's club website: "Regarding my resignation, the owner made it very clear last summer that he and I would seek to recruit a board that would put the club in a stronger position in the event that a sale didn't happen. 

"As the board has taken shape, however, it has become clear that my role also has changed."

He said: "While I am supportive of where the board is trying to take the club, it is my feeling that given the changes they are making, it makes sense for me to seek another challenge. 

"I have accepted the board's invitation to remain available during a period of transition to ensure a smooth handover."

Aston Villa's board will now begin the search for a permanent replacement for Tom Fox (pictured), the club says.

In the interim, the current chairman Steve Hollis will act as executive chairman.

Aston Villa Football Club has announced in the last minute Tom Fox has decided to step down as CEO with immediate effect.

BBC Radio Stoke

A lorry driver accused of travelling the wrong way on the M6 Toll and performing three u-turns has been charged with dangerous driving.

Image source, Central Motorway Police Group

Central Motorway Policing Group were called to the motorway after drivers called 999 reporting a lorry going in the wrong direction.

It happened between junction T4 and Weeford Plaza, near Lichfield.

Relatives of a man who died recently are being sought by the City of Wolverhampton Council.

Joseph Gee, who had lived in a care home in Wolverhampton for a number of years, was 73.

Anyone who is related to Mr Gee, or has any information which may help trace his relatives, is asked to call Elaine Thursfield in the council's court of protection team on 01902 555740 or email so his funeral can be arranged, external.

A couple found dead in a car were due to face child sex offence charges that day, a court said.

David and Cheyevette Cooke were discovered on Cat and Kittens Lane in Bushbury, Wolverhampton on 9 March.

Image source, Google

He faced 12 charges including rape and sexual assault, while she was accused of causing a child to engage in sexual activity, said Cannock Magistrates Court.

Their deaths are not being treated as suspicious, said West Midlands Police.

Concept art of Wolverhampton's new railway station has been showcased at MIPIM Cannes - the international property conference in France where councils showcase developments.

The pictures formed part of the City of Wolverhampton Council's presentation of its planned regeneration schemes.

The authority says work on the station is due to begin next year after its multi-storey car park has been refurbished.

Image source, City of Wolverhampton Council

Posters have been discovered in Birmingham which falsely name two men as paedophiles.

West Midlands Police say the men, whose faces are shown, are entirely innocent and fear their safety may have been compromised.

The posters, which were found on walls and in bus shelters in the Digbeth area, say "the community must act now".

Digbeth Residents' Association, whose name appears at the top of the leaflets, said the posters were nothing to do with them and they were angry their name had been used in this way.

Mikey Burrows
BBC WM Sport

Crystal Palace says it will not be commenting on reports that Albion boss Tony Pulis has been ordered to pay back around £3.5m to his former club. 

It's after a dispute over bonus payments relating to when Pulis kept Palace in the Premier League two years ago, then left on the eve of the new season.

West Bromwich Albion says it will also not be commenting.

BBC Midlands Today

West Midlands Police says "malicious" posters falsely naming two men as paedophiles have compromised the pair's safety. 

The notices were put up in the Digbeth area of Birmingham and have since been removed, say officers, who have launched an investigation. 

A man has been charged with the murder of West Bromwich pensioner Ronald Smith.

Paul Robert Cooke, aged 35, of no fixed address, is accused of murdering Mr Smith at his home in Cottage Walk and will appear at Sandwell Magistrates Court on Friday.

Image source, West Midlands Police

Mr Smith's body was found at the address in June. He died of stab injuries.

A 60-year-old man arrested in connection with the death has been told he will face no further action.

Ben Sidwell
BBC Midlands Today

Bosses at Alton Towers say they are determined to rebuild public trust ahead of the new season this weekend. It comes in the wake of The Smiler crash which left five people seriously injured last June.

We will have more on BBC One Midlands Today now.

West Midlands Police has released pictures of two men they want to trace after a Good Samaritan, who broke up a fight in Birmingham city centre, was badly beaten.

The victim, aged 20, from Bromsgrove, suffered a fractured eye socket and multiple jaw injuries which needed emergency surgery.

The fight happened around 03:15 on 12 February at the Arcadian centre.

Image source, West Midlands Police