Ice and fog causes travel havoc

Ice and fog caused hazardous driving conditions and led to a number of smashes in the Midlands.

A coach carrying 45 pensioners was involved in one crash, and there were five accidents in an hour on another stretch of road.

Fog descended in pockets around the Midlands, reducing visibility along many roads, especially in Staffordshire where there were five accidents between 11.30am and 12.30am yesterday.

And three people were taken to hospital after eight cars and a coach were involved in a crash in Worcestershire.

Ambulance crews said it was a "fair assumption" that the bad weather played a part in the accident on the M5 southbound between Junction 4 and Junction 5, the M42 interchange, at midday.

Ambulance service spokesman John Hawker said: "A coach that had 45 elderly people on board had been damaged in the collision, but no-one on board was injured."

A van skidded on black ice and crashed into four parked cars in Wolverhampton.

The white Mercedes Sprinter van did not stop when its driver braked on Goldthorn Hill at 6.30am yesterday.

There were a number of accidents on the M6 in and around Stafford. Most injuries were treated at the scene.

A woman in her early 30s was taken to Staffordshire General with a head injury.