Region's roads come to a standstill

Drivers endured nightmare journeys as a series of roadworks and a crash on the M6 brought the region's roads to a standstill.

New three-way temporary traffic lights caused chaos on the busy Willenhall Road in Wolverhampton during rush hour last night.

But motorists trying to find an alternative way through drove into more misery, with Wednesfield Road being resurfaced and four-way temporary traffic lights also in place on the A41 Lichfield Street in Bilston.

Drivers heading onto the M6 were also faced with two miles of tailbacks and delays of more than an hour after a crash between a car and a lorry.

The smash happened between Junction 8 southbound for the M5 and Junction 7 at Great Barr just before 3pm and closed two lanes until 4.15pm.

The car's passengers, a man, woman and a three-year-old child, were taken to Birmingham's City Hospital by ambulance. The lorry driver was not injured.

Wolverhampton office worker Louise Blunt, aged 30, who was heading home to Moseley, said today: "The queues started just as I came off the Bilston Street island in the city centre and past the Novotel.

"No-one moved for about 10 minutes - I've never seen traffic that bad.

"In the end I cut through to the Bilston Road but I got stuck in the roadworks there as well."

Annette Taylor, from Kingstanding, was stuck on the M6.

"The tailbacks were horrendous," she said."My car was overheating it was so bad."