Daz Hale
BBC WM

"I've moved about 6-700 yards in an hour and 40 minutes".

Luca, who called BBC WM this morning, is one of hundreds of drivers snarled up in congestion after the M6 was closed between J12 and J13.

Image source, Highways England

He said he got to the slip road for J11 at 06:18 and hadn't actually reached the motorway itself two hours later, as he tried to get to Macclesfield.

The motorway's likely to be shut in both directions for much of the morning after the lorry crash and fire just after midnight.

If you've been stuck in tailbacks or, like Jason Russel, externall, decided to turn around and work from home, we'd love to hear from you (if it's safe and legal to do so of course).

BBC News Travel

Drivers are being urged to keep avoiding the M6 in Staffordshire this morning with congestion stretching back several miles in both directions.

Image source, Highways England

Highways England says , externalthere are five miles on the northbound side from J11 and six miles southbound from J14.

It adds there are also "substantial delays" on its diversion route away from the motorway.

Image source, Highways England

It could be this evening before the M6 in Staffordshire is fully open again, Highways England has said.

Both carriageways between J12 and J13 have been shut since about 00:30 after a lorry collided with the central barrier.

The crash caused a lot of damage and spilled fuel across the motorway - specialists have been called in for the clear up.

Highways England said it was hoping to open the southbound side in the next few hours but the northbound side could stay shut until this evening., external

Kevin Pashby
BBC WM

These photos have just been released by Highways England showing the crash on the M6 this morning, along with the removal of the lorry and the damage to the barrier:

Image source, Highways England

Image source, Highways England

Image source, Highways England

A man has died after his pick-up truck rolled in Kidderminster last night.

West Midlands Ambulance Service said it happened on Stourport Road at 23:33 when a red Mitsubishi Trojan hit a wall and overturned.

The driver, a man in his 20s, died as a result of serious multiple injuries and was confirmed dead at the scene of the crash.

No-one else was hurt.

Among the drivers caught up in the heavy congestion around the M6 this morning was BBC Radio Stoke reporter Al Booth.

He was meant to arrive in Stoke-on-Trent at 06:30 but ended up arriving just before 09:00 , externalas it had been "a nightmare on the M6" - that was his excuse anyway.

The man in his 20s was pronounced dead at the scene in Kidderminster.

The Car Free Day on the Aston Expressway will now take place in spring 2020, says the city council.

Major repairs are having to be made to the M6 this morning which is why Highways England shut the motorway just after midnight., external

Image source, Highways England

Specialists had to be brought in to right the lorry after it overturned and caught fire.

Highways England said a lot of debris and fuel was also spread across the motorway, and the central barrier was badly damaged.

Ex-Reading striker Dave Kitson opens up on his mental health struggle, and warns of an "epidemic" in football.

Alex Hamilton
BBC Weather

A cloudy start and there's a chance of rain around today:

Keep up-to-date with the latest weather for your area by heading to the BBC Weather website.

This gives an idea of how congested parts of the M6 and the area around it is this morning, with the motorway shut between J12 and J13.

This is Google's traffic map for the area, external and the more red the route, the slower the traffic:

Image source, Google

Allen Cook
BBC News

Delays of several hours are being reported by drivers in Staffordshire as routes around the M6 remain congested after the lorry crash just after midnight.

Twitter user @cdutts said it had already taken him more than two hours to get to Stoke-on-Trent from Stafford.

While @burrows_andy tweeted, , external40 minutes since leaving work, he was "still closer to work than home" due to the M6 closure.

Another driver Jason Russell, external said he joined the M6 at J16 and found it at a "standstill" after Keele services. So much so, that he'd decided to turn off at J15 and "logon and work from home".

Both sides of the M6 between J12 and J13 are likely to be shut for most of the morning, Highways England says.

Image source, Highways England

The motorway's been shut for several hours after a lorry collided with the central barrier, overturned and caught fire.

Highways England says it expects to reopen the southbound carriageway later this morning, but the northbound will stay shut until later today.

Allen Cook
BBC News

The M6 is still shut between J12 and J13, near Stafford, after the lorry crash this morning.

Traffic's being diverted around the motorway which has caused major congestion on surrounding roads.

It also led to the unusual sight at 08:40 on a weekday of no traffic on either carriageway between those junctions:

Image source, Highways England

It's not just the M6 which is heavily congested this morning in both directions approaching J12 and J13 after the lorry crash.

Highways England has been diverting traffic off the motorway, external which has led to congestion on routes around Stafford, Cannock and Penkridge:

The delays on the M6 are now more than an hour in both directions approaching J12 and J13.

Highways England said , externalcrews are still repairing the motorway after the lorry crash and have not released an estimated time for when it'll reopen.

"It's incredibly lucky no-one suffered serious injuries" in the crash on the M6, the ambulance service's said., external

Image source, West Midlands Ambulance Service

One of its crews came across the overturned lorry on the southbound side between J13 and J12, near Stafford.

They say the driver was already out of the lorry when they stopped and was treated for relatively minor injuries before being taken to hospital.

Allen Cook
BBC News

Nobody's been seriously hurt in the collision on the M6, the ambulance service has said.

A lorry crashed and overturned between J12 and J13, near Cannock, just after midnight and then caught fire.

The ambulance service has just said only minor injuries were suffered by the driver.

Express and Star

A few of the early headlines from the Express and Star:

• Walsall's Old Square Shopping Centre could be bulldozed in homes plan, external
• Mother admits racially abusing police officer who intervened in recycling bin row, external
• Boarding school interested in buying Stourbridge College, external