Lorry carrying 22 tonnes of potatoes blocks M5

Police said the lorry was carrying 22 tonnes of potatoes

An overturned lorry carrying potatoes forced the partial closure of the M5 in Devon as it blocked all three southbound lanes.

National Highways said those lanes of the motorway were closed between junction 28 at Cullompton and junction 29 at Exeter after the lorry crashed shortly before 08:00 GMT on Wednesday.

Police said the lorry was carrying 22 tonnes of loose potatoes when it tipped and the vegetables had to be unloaded before the lorry could be righted.

The lanes reopened to traffic at about 20:00 GMT.

The overturned lorry forced the closure of the southbound lanes on the M5 in Devon

One person was injured in the crash but the injuries were not thought to be serious, police added.

Sgt Owen Jones, from Devon and Cornwall Police, said the recovery operation proved difficult.

"Unfortunately it's blocking all three lanes and the hard shoulder," he said.

"We're working hard to get it recovered but unfortunately 22 tonnes of loose potatoes are causing us quite some problems.

"It's looking like an all-dayer."

Mr Jones said the force had "quite a few officers" attend from "various parts of the force to give us a hand unloading these potatoes" before it could complete the recovery of the lorry.

National Highways had urged motorists to allow extra travel time with delays expected

'Delay your journey'

National Highways said it had reopened junction 27 after it was earlier closed to allow stuck traffic to leave the motorway.

Julian Mitchell, from National Highways, said it had been a long day.

He said: "The recovery has taken quite a lot longer as the lorry is carrying a full load of potatoes - which is probably destined for people's tables over the Christmas period.

"As you can imagine, the clean-up operation is quite challenging."

Police said the road was closed for some time