Black Country Route crash sparks chaos

Drivers were stuck in queues this afternoon on a busy route into Bilston after two cars and two vans collided on a slip road in Willenhall.

The crash at 8.50am near Tesco in Willenhall, closed the busy Black Country Route for nearly five hours. The A454 was shut between Junction 10 of the M6 for Wolverhampton and Walsall and the Keyway Island, causing a backlog of traffic in the direction of Bilston along Armstrong Way. Queues also built up along the M6 as drivers tried to get into the city.

A Skoda, a BMW saloon, a Maxus LDV white van and a Mercedes Sprinter van were all involved in the crash.

A woman was taken to New Cross Hospital with leg injuries, while a man was also taken to hospital suffering with chest pains.

Fire crews from Willenhall, Bilston and Wednesbury were called to the scene and had to cut one of the victims out of a vehicle using small cutting equipment.

Zoe Lee, spokeswoman for West Midlands Police, said: "The road was closed off at Junction 10 and the Keyway island.

"There were tailbacks on to the M6. Traffic entering the Black Country Route towards Bilston was being diverted."

The road reopened at around 1.40pm today while police accident investigators combed the scene for clues.

Meanwhile a section of the M6 was being closed tonight while gantries were installed.

The Highways Agency was closing the carriageway between Junction 10a for Essington and Junction 12 for Cannock North from 10pm until 6am tomorrow.

The closure was put back the timing of the closures so as to minimise disruption to football fans travelling back from the Champions League semi-final at Old Trafford.