West Brom shirts welcomed at memorial service for former Sandwell Council leader Darren Cooper

People paying their respects to Councillor Cooper have been encouraged to wear the shirts of his beloved Albion, scarves or colours if they want to.

Around 50 tickets remain available for the memorial service at West Bromwich Town Hall on Friday.

Councillor Cooper was a huge Albion fan and council bosses said people attending are welcome to wear Albion shirts, scarves and blue-and-white colours if they wish.

Admission to the event is by ticket or invitation only.

The event, which follows Councillor Cooper's death over Easter, is being held from 11am to 1pm.

Acting council leader Councillor Steve Eling said: "We all know how enormously popular he was. We will try to accommodate everyone who wishes to attend but as space is limited it needs to be ticket only."

The vast majority of tickets have gone but extra places are becoming available as the authority is contacted by people who are not able to attend.

To book a ticket, call Sandwell Council on 0121 569 3041.