Crash chaos blocks roads across the region

Crashes threw main routes across the Black Country and Staffordshire into chaos today, with closures on the M5, the A5 and the A38.

Lorries smashed through central reservations on both the M5 near Oldbury and the busy A38 near Lichfield, while a petrol tanker and another lorry collided on the A5 near Cannock.

The M5 was partially closed in both directions today after the lorry crashed into a central reservation between junction 2 for Oldbury and junction 3 for Halesowen at 9.30 last night.

The lorry was heading northbound when it hit the barrier and crossed onto the other carriageway.

Fuel spilled across both carriageways and the southbound side was closed immediately while two lanes of the northbound carriageway were also shut. No other vehicle was involved and the driver suffered only minor facial injuries.

Highways Agency staff were on site overnight resurfacing the road, which was damaged by the fuel spill.

By 7am queues were building for over four miles southbound, back up to junction 8 of the M6, where the motorways merge. Northbound there was a near two-mile tailback, as far as Frankley Services. Two lanes in each direction were reopened at 9am.

The lorry destroyed over 600ft of the central reservation and three lamposts were also knocked down.

Meanwhile, the A5 between the A449 at Gailey and junction 12 of the M6 near Cannock, was blocked after a collision between two lorries at 12.20am.

A tanker, which was empty, left the road and landed on its side in a culvert. The road was closed again at 8.30am today while the lorry was recovered. No one was injured.

The A38, between Lichfield and Burton upon Trent, was also hit at Barton-under-Needwood after a lane in each direction was blocked when a lorry went through the central reservation at 5.40am. The driver suffered minor injuries.