FIREFIGHTERS had to cut the roof off a police car to free an injured officer after a crash near the Merry Hill shopping centre.

Two men have been arrested after an Audi A3, which failed to stop for officers, drove on the wrong side of the road and smashed into a police car near on the A4036 Merry Hill in the early hours of this morning (Wednesday December 4).

Fire crews had to use cutting equipment to free an injured policeman who was trapped in the "badly damaged" car and he was taken to hospital with "potentially serious injuries."

The driver and passenger of the Audi, aged 42 and 53, were arrested and taken to hospital for checks after the crash at around 3am.

A spokesman for West Midlands Fire Service said: "Crews from Brierley Hill and Haden Cross Fire Stations arrived in under four minutes.

"Two cars had collided, resulting in a closure of the road as our firefighters worked with colleagues from West Midlands Police and West Midlands Ambulance Service.

"One of the cars was a police patrol car, which was badly damaged, resulting in our firefighters using cutting equipment to remove the roof from the police car to safely extricate the police officer from the car.

"The police officer was taken to hospital following the incident and we made the vehicles safe.

"We left the incident around 5am."

The road was closed until around 7.30am.

Police are investigating and have appealed for witnesses.

The Audi was being driven on the wrong side of the A4036 Merry Hill, before colliding with a police car, which was driving on the correct side of the road, and which was not involved in the pursuit.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Police said: "Officers first became suspicious of the Audi when they saw it being driven near the Merry Hill centre at around 3am this morning.

"They pursued it and it made off from officers before it was stung on Coppice Lane."

The Audi continued and drove on the wrong side of the A4036 Merry Hill when the crash happened.

A second officer was not injured and is being supported by colleagues.

A spokesperson for West Midlands Ambulance Service: "We sent three ambulances and two paramedic officers to the scene.

"Crews discovered two cars had been involved in a collision.

"Three men were treated for potentially serious injuries before two were taken to Midland Metropolitan University Hospital and the third to Russells Hall Hospital."

Police are appealing for witnesses to contact them on 101 or Live Chat on the website, quoting log 263 of 4 December.