M5 motorway chaos as overturned van causes five miles of delays

A minibus overturned on the M5 caused traffic chaos for thousands of commuters during rush hour on Thursday morning.

Three of the four lanes of the northbound highway are closed as motorists are delayed for more than an hour.

National Highways reported five miles of traffic congestion and delays were expected to last until noon.

The incident occurred following a collision between Junction 6 Worcester and Junction 5 Wychbold as rescue crews were en route to the scene.

Shortly before 8am they posted on social media: “Three northbound lanes (4 lanes) remain closed on the M5 between J6 (Worcester) and J5 (Wychbold) following a collision resulting in a minibus overturning.

“The rescue team is on its way to the scene.

“There is currently approximately 5 miles of traffic congestion on approach, causing delays in excess of 60 minutes.”

Traffic conditions are expected to return to normal between 12.45 and 13.00.

The M5 is a major motorway running southwest through the Midlands, starting near Birmingham and ending in Exeter, Devon.

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

While repair work was being carried out to repair the damaged barrier, traffic came to a halt on the westbound highway between the second and third intersections with the intervention of emergency services.

While four people were examined by ambulance officers, two people were treated and taken to hospital for non-serious injuries.

National Highways West Midlands said “major barrier damage” meant one lane remained closed until 5.30pm on Wednesday.