Three police officers injured in two separate smashes in the Midlands

The two smashes happened in Dudley this morning and in Stafford last night.

Two officers suffered injuries after a suspected drink-driver ploughed into their police car in Dudley.

They were on patrol in their vehicle at the junction of Smithy Lane and Tansey Green Road at around 2.40am when a Volkswagen Golf mounted the pavement before smashing into them.

The driver of the police car managed to get out of his car - despite suffering a minor injury - and detained a man on suspicion of drink-driving.

Both officers were taken to hospital. One of the officers suffered minor injuries and has now been released, while the second officer continues to be monitored. His injuries are not thought to be life threatening.

A 44-year-old man from Dudley, remained in police custody this afternoon.

Ch Insp Jack Hadley, force incident manager, said: "Both officers were extremely lucky not to suffer more serious injuries.

"They were on a routine patrol when the collision happened. The driver of the other car had lost control of his vehicle and the end result could have been far worse.

"I want to remind everyone to think carefully before getting behind the wheel this weekend - there is absolutely no excuse for driving while drunk.

"If you're planning a night out over the bank holiday weekend think about how you're going to get back and leave your car at home."

Meanwhile, a police car on the way to an emergency call was in collision with a silver Peugeot on Wolverhampton Road, Stafford at around 9.15pm.

The drivers of both vehicles - a serving police officer and a 37-year-old man from Stafford - suffered non-life-threatening injuries. They were treated at the scene by paramedics. The officer was taken to hospital as a precaution but has since been released.

The road was closed for more than an hour.

Witnesses are asked to ring Staffordshire Police on 101.