West Mercia Police Authority today became the second force after Cleveland to launch a legal challenge against the Government's restructuring plans.

The authority is launching judicial review proceedings at the High Court in a bid to stop the merger process getting under way next month.

Under the new proposals, West Mercia Police would be merged with Staffordshire, Warwickshire and West Midlands to create a superforce.

Cleveland Police Authority was the first force to launch a legal challenge against the proposals.

And yesterday, four West Midlands councils announced they were doing the same.