Richard Ashcroft and co write new songs

The Verve are set to reunite for a winter tour.

The original band of Richard Ashcroft, Nick McCabe,Simon Jones and Pete Sailsbury have got together for the first time in almost a decade.

In a statement, the band have announced they were: "Getting back together for the joy of the music."

It is believed they will take a summer break and then return to the studio to complete their next album.

The band broke up in 1999, with the tumultuous relationship between Ashcroft and McCabe being well documented with the two exiting the band repeatedly since they began in 1993.