M5 motorway chaos as overturned van causes five miles of delays

An overturned van on the M5 has caused traffic chaos for thousands of commuters during Thursday’s morning rush hour.

Three out of four lanes of the northbound motorway are shut, with drivers stuck in delays for over an hour.

National Highways have reported five miles of traffic congestion, with delays expected to last until midday.

The incident occurred following a collision between Junction 6 Worcester and Junction 5 Wychbold, while recovery teams are en route to the scene.

Shortly before 8am they shared on social media: “Three lanes (of 4) remain closed on the M5 northbound between J6 (Worcester) and J5 (Wychbold) following a collision, resulting in an overturned van.

“Recovery are en route to scene.

“There is now approx. 5 miles of congestion on approach, causing delays in excess of 60 minutes.”

Normal traffic conditions are expected to return between 12.45pm and 1pm.

The M5 is a major motorway that runs from the Midlands to the south-west, starting near Birmingham and ending in Exeter, Devon.

It comes after a lorry crashed through the central reservation of the M54 shortly before midnight on Tuesday, with “multiple vehicles” involved in subsequent collisions.

Traffic was brought to a standstill on the westbound carriageway between junctions two and three, with emergency services attending while repairs took place to fix the damaged barrier.

Four people were assessed by ambulance staff with two men given treatment for non-serious injuries and taken to hospital.

National Highways West Midlands said "extensive barrier damage" meant one lane remained closed at until 5.30pm on Wednesday.