A teenage girl dies when the car she was in crashes into a shop front after failing to stop for police.

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

Although the fire is now out on the M1 northbound underneath the new J11A bridge, delays are expected for most of the afternoon. 

Highways England expect normal traffic conditions to return at about 17:00. 

The road has now re-opened after it had to close when two lorries crashed, causing one to burst into flames. 

Image source, Highways England

BBC Weather

It will continue to turn cloudy through the afternoon with perhaps the odd bright spell as well, but feeling a little on the cool side despite temperatures nudging 18C (64F).

Get the latest forecast where you live from BBC Weather.

Kate Bradbrook
BBC Look East

Friends of the 15-year-old girl who died after a car crash in Luton last night have been laying flowers as a tribute to her. 

She's been named locally as Nessa Lewandoska. 

The friends have been comforting each other and been telling me how shocked they are after hearing the news. 

They say Nessa was a very popular girl and it will "impact" on all of them. 

Kate Bradbrook
BBC Look East

An eyewitness who saw last night's car crash in Luton's High Town has told me a third person escaped the car from the boot and was pursued by the police. 

Bedfordshire Police have confirmed they still want to speak to another person who may have been travelling in the car at the time. 

Image source, SBNA

Image source, SBNA

A teenage girl was pronunced dead at the scene after the vehicle crashed into a TV and video repairs shop at about 22:20. 

Another man was taken to hospital by air ambulance with serious injuries.

Kate Bradbrook
BBC Look East

Tributes have been paid by friends of the teenage girl who died after the car she was in crashed into a shop in High Town in Luton last night. 

Brandon, 14, says the girl who lost her life was "always there for me", she was "kind, loyal and stuck by me."

He told me he's been left "speechless" and is finding the news "hard" to take. 

Kai, 14, says the news has left him really "upset" and he's shocked by what has happened.

An eight-year-old boy can hold a pen for the first time after being fitted with a new hand, 3D printed in the colours of his favourite football team.

Live text coverage from St Mary's Stadium as Southampton host Watford on the opening day of the Premier League season.

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

We've reported on the problems on the M1 this morning due to a lorry fire... here you can see the extent of the fire and smoke damage. The lorry caught fire under the new M11A bridge. 

Nicola Butler filmed this from the passenger seat as she travelled southbound. 

All lanes have re-opened but congestion goes back to J7. 

Kate Williams
BBC Local Live

The two companies that were also in the bidding process for the rail franchise, National Express and First Rail, have spoken of their disappointment over their unsuccessful bids.

A National Express spokesman said: "We are naturally disappointed because we delivered a disciplined bid that balanced significant customer improvement with excellent value to taxpayers and a fair return for shareholders. 

"We are seeking feedback on our bid from the Department for Transport."

Image source, Abellio Greater Anglia

Meanwhile, managing director of First Rail, Steve Montgomery, said: "We are disappointed not to have been given the opportunity to deliver a reliable and high-quality rail service for passengers in East Anglia.

"Our bid was compelling and deliverable. Had it been selected, it would have provided excellent value for the taxpayer, vastly improved performance and capacity, and a step change in customer service."

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

These pictures taken by Ben White reveal the extent of the damage caused by a lorry fire under the new J11A bridge on the northbound section of the M1.

Image source, Ben White

Image source, Ben White

The fire is now out and two lanes have just re-opened just past the scene. 

There are still long delays between J11 and J9 and on the southbound section of the road. 

Kate Bradbrook
BBC Look East

Alex Pope
BBC Local Live

A few more details now on the M1 fire... Just before 10:30 this morning two lorries collided on the M1 northbound under the new J11A bridge - one of them burst into flames. 

The fire is out now and Highways England, external have just confirmed they're working to get the road re-opened. 

The road is closed between J11 and J12 and there are delays on the southbound section. 

Image source, Nicola Butler

This photo taken by Nicola Butler shows how traffic was left at a standstill.   

Andrew Sinclair
BBC Look East political correspondent

“For too long East Anglia has been unloved in rail terms - that’s going to change."

The comments of Transport Secretary Chris Grayling this morning sum up the importance of today’s announcement.

This new nine-year franchise, with its tough requirements of improved service levels and new rolling stock, is the result of a long campaign by the business community and particularly the region’s MPs. 

Shorter franchises had failed to bring about any major changes to rail services in East Anglia for years and there was a perception outside the region that we were a rural undeveloped backwater.

Kate Williams
BBC Local Live

Key benefits suggested by the Department for Transport for the new rail franchise include: 

• A least four 90-minute services (two in each direction) between London and Norwich each weekday
• Two 60-minute services per day between London and Ipswich
• Free wi-fi for all passengers on trains and at stations
• 1,043 new, state-of-the-art carriages delivered between January 2019 and September 2020 to support the faster timetable, with a full programme of refurbishment for the current fleet in the meantime
• Automatic "delay repay" for season and advance purchase tickets
• New targets for operational performance levels at 93% - up from 89.7% currently
• New ticketing initiatives, starting in October next year, including new offers for part-time users and those who don’t travel every day
• By 2021, there will be more than 32,000 more seats on services arriving at London Liverpool Street in the morning peak
• The new franchise will introduce 1,144 additional weekday services – an increase of 13% – to stations including Cambridge, Norwich, Stansted Airport, Lowestoft, Southend and London Liverpool Street

Kate Williams
BBC Local Live

A wealth of new benefits should emerge from the new franchise awarded to Abellio Greater Anglia, but only sketchy details of timescales have emerged so far, external from the Department for Transport. 

Image source, Department for Transport

A man who was killed in a motorcyle accident in Southam, external in Warwickshire has been named. 

Geoff Thomas, 61, of Merrivale, Wycombe Rd, Prestwood in Buckinghamshire was involved in the accident on the Banbury Road between Southam and Ladbroke on Sunday. 

The northbound M1 in Bedfordshire is currently closed and queuing traffic between J11, and J12, because of a lorry fire. 

Congestion is now back to J10 at Luton Airport and there are long delays on the southbound section too. 

The M1 northbound between J11 and J12 is currently blocked because of a HGV on fire on the road. 

Kate Bradbrook
BBC Look East

Engineers are currently assessing the scene of a fatal car crash in Luton after a car went into the side of a building on High Town Road in the town.