M6 billboard art plan withdrawn

Some residents were not impressed by the design

Plans for a 278ft (85m) billboard sculpture beside the M6 motorway in the Black Country have been withdrawn.

Developer Opus Land wanted to build The Sandwell Icon structure beside the M6 in Wednesbury and claimed it could be as famous as the Angel of the North.

But some residents signed a petition against the plan and said the "eyesore" would tower over their homes.

Opus Land said it had withdrawn the plan after consulting residents but would put forward a revised proposal.

The company had said the venture, which would combine public art with a billboard, would bring in about £1m in advertising revenue per year and make the Black Country internationally renowned.