Work to open the hard shoulder to traffic along a 40-mile stretch of the M6 through the West Midlands and Staffordshire started today.

Highways bosses want the hard shoulder opened up to motorists as an additional lane from 2012 in a bid to slash congestion.

As part of the project, workers will move in to strengthen and upgrade the hard shoulder between Junction 5 at Castle Bromwich to Junction 8, Rayhall, as well as Junction 10A, to the M54, Junction 13 at South Stafford and Junctions 13 and 16, Stoke-on-Trent.

Workers were this morning moving in to start work between Junction 12, north of Cannock, and Junction 16 at Stoke.

Lanes will be narrowed along some stretches of the motorway.