Major Coventry route reopens after fatal crash

Traffic was diverted away from the A45 following the fatal crash

A road has reopened after a crash on Tuesday in which a man died.

The westbound side of the A45 in Coventry, from Tollbar End to Stivichall interchange, reopened at 03:00 GMT, said National Highways.

It was closed following a two-vehicle collision in which a man drove away from police and crashed into another vehicle.

West Midlands Police has referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC).

A man in his 20s, who was found in a critical condition on the westbound carriageway and died at the scene, is believed to be the driver pursued by police.

The male driver of the second vehicle was taken to hospital with injuries not thought to be serious.

The route remained shut for hours to allow police investigations and emergency resurfacing work, said Frank Bird, from National Highways.

"Before we could get the road reopened this morning to traffic we had to go out and put quite a bit of salt down as well, with the overnight temperatures being minus 5C, minus 6C. It's been a challenging 18 or 19 hours," he added.