• Merson treated in hospital after crashing Mercedes • 'I fell asleep – I'm very lucky to have survived'

This article is more than 8 years old

This article is more than 8 years old

Paul Merson has been arrested on suspicion of drink-driving after crashing his Mercedes into a lorry on the M40 near Warwick in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Merson, 43, was pictured leaving hospital with blood stains on the arms of his white shirt and cuts on his face. He appeared to have had stitches for one wound, above his eyebrow.

Merson, formerly of Arsenal, Middlesbrough, Aston Villa and Portsmouth, and now a Sky Sports pundit, told the Daily Mirror: "I fell asleep and just hit the central reservation. I banged my head on the windscreen and the car is a write-off.

"I'm very lucky to have survived. I managed to get out by myself and the emergency services were brilliant. Now I just want to get home and have some rest."

Merson had been driving back to his home in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, from a charity event in aid of Children in Need in Battersea, south London.

A police spokeswoman said: "We received a report of an accident on the M40 northbound between J14 and 15 at 3.12am this morning involving a black Mercedes ML350 and a lorry.

"Following a roadside breath test, the 43-year-old male driver of the Mercedes was arrested on suspicion of driving with excess alcohol. He was taken to Warwick hospital for treatment to a cut to the head. A blood sample was taken for analysis."

The lorry driver suffered whiplash injuries during the crash and is recovering at home after hospital treatment.