Chaos as lorry and van collide

Motorists faced rush hour chaos on the Black Country Route today following a collision between a lorry and a van.

The white van came to rest on top of the central reservation on the A454 near The Keyway Junction, in Willenhall, during the accident shortly after 6am on the Walsall bound carriageway near the City Link depot.

Traffic officers closed both carriageways for a clear-up operation of the scene and drivers faced delays of more than half an hour along the affected routes.

West Midlands police said no-one was hurt during the incident and the road was fully re-opened at 7.30am after the van with the word 'Space' on the side was removed.

Drivers heading in the direction of Wolverhampton from the motorway faced slow-moving queues up until about 8am as the traffic flows freed up between the M6 at junction 10 in Walsall and Moxley.

Last week a driver had to be cut free from a Honda Civic after a collision on the Black country route at the The Lunt island. The male driver was taken to hospital with back injuries.

The latest incident comes just ahead of major roadworks on the Walsall bound carriageway which will be closed from 7pm tonight for bridge works between The Keyway and Anson junctions at Bentley.

Diversion routes will be in operation for motorists heading towards the M6 at Walsall.

The repairs are due to take 22 hours to complete and the road will re-open on Sunday at 5pm.