A “significant” piece of confidential information has been sent to the senior coroner who is due to consider whether to reopen the Birmingham Pub Bombing inquests in England.

Senior Coroner for Birmingham and Solihull Louise Hunt said she received the “sensitive information” from an undisclosed source in a submission sent to her office on April 27.

Speaking at a hearing in Solihull on Thursday ahead of what is due to be her final decision on the inquests on June 1, Ms Hunt added the material was “significant” and related to an allegation the security services had some advanced notice of the deadly bombings on the night of November 21, 1974.

She said: “It’s significant and does raise concerns in relation to potential advanced notice, that’s as much as I can say.”

Ms Hunt said she was not aware the sensitive information had appeared anywhere else in the public domain.

The fatal bombings, which claimed the lives of 21 people and also left 182 people injured, are widely acknowledged to have been carried out by the IRA.

A subsequent police investigation led to the wrongful convictions of the Birmingham Six, who were released in 1991 after their convictions for murder were overturned by the Court of Appeal.

The coroner concluded today’s hearing by saying she would make a decision on Wednesday, June 1.