Lorry driver in M5 crash dies in hospital

The driver of a lorry that crashed into the rear of a stationary bus carrying a party of fruit-pickers on the M5 has died in hospital.

West Midlands Police said the 65-year-old haulier, from Somerset, died shortly after 9pm on Saturday at a Birmingham hospital following the accident, which left one bus passenger dead and another critically ill.

The driver of the bus, which was reported to have broken down in thick fog in a "live" lane of the M5 near Frankley services, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and released on police bail.

The lorry driver, who has yet to be named by officers, was en route from Manchester to Devon when his Volvo vehicle struck the single-decker bus near junction three of the M5 at Halesowen.

Emergency crews treated more than 20 bus passengers, who were being driven from Birmingham to the Evesham area of Worcestershire.

A 35-year-old man from Smethwick who had been travelling on the bus was confirmed dead at the scene Another passenger remained in a critical condition last night.

The southbound M5 was closed for around eight hours and a detailed investigation by the Central Motorway Police Group into the cause of the collision is under way.

PA