Birmingham City Council is seeking a permanent exclusion zone to be thrown around Anderton Park School in Sparkhill to halt protests at the school gates.

The school has been at the centre of a long campaign demanding the school stops sharing LGBT equality messages with young pupils, led by parents who say the messages conflict with their 'religious beliefs and family values'.

The city council launched court action in a bid to protect the school from further protests after a 300-strong gathering at the gates in May.

An emergency interim order was granted in May, and later extended in June, which sought to halt any more gatherings in sight and sound of the primary school that could disrupt pupils, or intimidate staff.

The interim order was issued against chief protesters Shakeel Afsar, Rosina Afsar and Amir Ahmed and all other 'persons unknown', and if anyone defies the order, they could face arrest.

A hearing this week will give the protesters the chance to make their case that the exclusion zone is not required. The city council will aim to show that the impact of the protests is such that a permanent exclusion zone is necessary.

We will be at the hearing today and will bring you regular updates.

Follow us on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news. We are also on Instagram.

If you are on the go, the Birmingham Live app helps bring you closer to the latest news where you live.

Available on iPhone and Android , the app can be tailor made to bring you the latest on what matters to you.

Breaking news, the latest on your football club, the pick of the weeks events and the latest travel - you can tailor the app to suit you.

Our push notifications help highlight the biggest stories to you first.

Download it on iPhone and Android .