A DRIVER has died following a road traffic collision near Redditch.

The man, who is in his 40s, was driving a silver Suzuki Grand Vitara on Sunday on the A441 The Ridgeway in Cookhill in the direction of Evesham.

The car was driving past Ridgeway Nursery when it crossed to the opposite side of the road and hit a tree at 5.35pm.

The man, who has not yet been named, was confirmed dead at the scene by paramedics.

An inquest is set to be opened.

Due to the weather and road conditions the A441 was closed for about 24 hours following the collision.

PC Liam Bennett of West Mercia Police said: “A man has tragically lost his life and our thoughts are with his family at this sad time.

“An investigation has been launched into how and why this collision occurred, and we are appealing for witnesses or anyone who thinks they may have seen this car shortly before the collision."

Anyone with information should contact the non-emergency number 101, quoting incident reference 423-S-240313.