One dead and several hurt in M5 crashes near Worcester

One person died in the crash just before 04:30 BST

A lorry driver has died and others have been injured in two multi-vehicle crashes on the M5.

The fatal crash - involving four lorries, the fire service said - happened just before 04:30 BST between junctions 7 and 8 near Worcester, closing the northbound carriageway.

Six people had already been seen by paramedics on the same stretch when an HGV crashed with a car at about 03:00.

One lane reopened at about 14:30 BST but drivers faced long delays.

In the second crash, a 35-year-old man from Weston-Super-Mare died at the scene, police said.

Fire and ambulance crews worked for 90 minutes to cut a second 57-year-old lorry driver free from his vehicle before he was taken to hospital with serious injuries.

In the earlier crash, the ambulance service said, a rear-seat passenger in one of the vehicles was treated for potentially serious injuries and taken to hospital along with two others whose injuries were less serious.

Three more patients were discharged at the scene.

The closure of the motorway was extended back to junction 9 at the Ashchurch Interchange for Tewkesbury and Evesham due to severe delays on the original diversion route via the A38.

A full reopening of the M5 was not expected until Wednesday evening, police said.

There were delays in excess of two hours stretching back to J11 for Gloucester and Cheltenham and significant delays on local roads in the area.

About 100 litres (22 gallons) of diesel had been spilled, travel firm Inrix reported, with National Highways saying it was likely a stretch of the route would need to be resurfaced.