M1 near Barnsley closed for hours due to suspicious package

Drivers faced major delays on the M1 in South Yorkshire after the discovery of a suspicious package on a footbridge over the motorway.

Both carriageways remained closed for several hours on Monday afternoon between J36 (Tankersley) and J37 (Barnsley) due to the find.

At its height, there were delays of up to 90 minutes in the area.

Specialist officers were called to the scene at Gilroyd Lane, Barnsley, to establish what the package was.

Diversions remained in place for several hours for drivers on the M1 in the area, National Highways said

It was found just after 13:00 BST, according to the South Yorkshire force.

The M1 was closed in both directions as a precaution.

Traffic on both the north and southbound carriageways was taken off the motorway and drivers were asked to follow diversions.

Football fans travelling to the League One play-off second leg between Sheffield Wednesday and Sunderland at Hillsborough were warned by police to expect "significant delays".

South Yorkshire Police has not yet released any more details about the nature of the package which was found.