Birmingham pub bombings inquest: 'No indication police took any active steps'

A coroner has ruled that inquests into the deaths of those killed in the Birmingham pub bombings can be reopened after holding several review hearings and receiving "significant" new information.

The senior coroner for Birmingham and Solihull Louise Hunt set out the reasons for her ruling and said there was evidence that West Midlands Police had missed two potential warnings of the bomb attacks, including a comment made by men linked to IRA that "Birmingham would be hit next week."

The overheard conversation was reported to police on 10 November 1974, but Ms Hunt said there was "no indication that the police took any active steps in response to it."

On the day of the attack, a second tip-off to the police was not followed up, she added.

She said claims that police were protecting a mole in the IRA cell were unfounded, and neither did the emergency services response that night contribute to the deaths.