BRAVE police officers stopped a car travelling the wrong way along a motorway and being driven by a Rowley pensioner by crashing into it head-on.

Officers attended the M6 Toll close to the junction for the A38 near Sutton Coldfield, at about 9.50pm last night (Tuesday).

The Honda Jazz was travelling at 50mph, West Midlands Police said.

The driver of the car, a 77-year-old man with dementia, had been reported missing from his home in Rowley Regis.

He was uninjured in the crash and one of the officers suffered a minor injury.

Inspector Mark Watkins, from Central Motorway Police Group, said: "This was an extremely unusual situation where the driver of the car had shown no intention to stop travelling in the wrong direction.

"Traffic officers bravely took the decision to engineer a collision with the vehicle and I am sure that their selfless actions have prevented serious injury or worse to the driver and other motorists on the road."

He added: "We were relieved that we could bring this situation to a safe conclusion and return the man home safe and well to his family."