British groups The Police, The Clash and Elvis Costello and the Attractions will join the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame next year.

The three "new wave" rock bands of the late 1970s will be inducted along with the Righteous Brothers, Bill Medley and Australian hard rockers AC/DC.

The ceremony - to be held on 10 March in New York - will see bands that parted years ago, some acrimoniously, reunited.

"These inductees represent many influential genres of rock, including 60s soul, heavy metal and 1970s English punk," said executive director Suzan Evans in a statement.

Proud

The Police, The Clash and Costello follow in the footsteps of The Ramones and Talking Heads, who last year became the first punk and new wave bands to break into the Hall of Fame.

Costello: A prolific genre-hopper

The Rock Hall of Fame, based in Cleveland, Ohio, has existed since 1983, and has honoured artists including The Beatles, The Beach Boys and Neil Young.

Artists become eligible for induction 25 years after the release of their first record.

Solo artist Sting, who was lead singer for The Police, told his website Sting.com: "I am very proud of the legacy of The Police.

"We are a damn good band and it still holds up."

The Police fused punk with reggae grooves and intricate arrangements. Their rise to fame culminated in the 1983 album Synchronicity, which featured the hit song Every Breath You Take.

The Police had a relatively short career

The anti-establishment Clash rose to prominence at the dawn of the punk era.

They gained fame with hits like Rock The Casbah, before splitting in 1982.

Costello was rock's angry young man of the 1970s.

He has since become a prolific genre-hopper with hits such as Alison, Pump It Up and Veronica.

Additional inductees to the Hall of Fame in the non-performer categories are to be announced later.