Serious crashes leave ten injured and force M54 closure

An elderly man had to be cut free and airlifted to hospital after one of the incidents, while a stretch of the motorway was closed for drivers heading towards Shrewsbury for more than six hours.

The disruption started with a van blaze at 5.30am before eight cars were involved in a crash on the A5 shortly beyond the end of the M54 during rush hour.

It is not known how many cars collided with each other in that pile-up, which left one woman injured, but passing motorists reported that eight vehicles had stopped close to each other while damage was clearly visible on at least two cars.

The cars were blocking a stretch of the outside lane and at 8.20am traffic continued to pass towards Shrewsbury on the inside lane, before officers shut both westbound lanes from Junction 7 at around 8.45am.

Motorists heading towards Shrewsbury and North Wales were diverted off the M54 at Junction 7 and through Atcham, causing delays through the area and tailbacks on the motorway as far as Junction 6 for Ketley, until emergency services were then called to a three-car crash at around 10am.

Eight people there were seen by paramedics, including two elderly casualties who had to be cut free through the roof of their car.

The air ambulance landed on the motorway and flew a man in his 70s to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital, while a woman, also thought to be in her 70s, joined him at the hospital after being taken by land ambulance.

West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman Jamie Arrowsmith said : "A man believed to be in his 70s was suffering a slightly reduced level of consciousness and was treated for a head injury.

"He was immobilised and transported to the air ambulance, which had landed on the carriageway, before being flown to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital.

"A woman, also thought to be in her 70s, was treated for a suspected fractured wrist and chest pain, given pain relief and immobilised before being taken to the same hospital by land ambulance.

"There were another five patients in a second car, two adults and three children.

"Thankfully none of them suffered serious injuries and they were all discharged on scene.

"A woman from the third car did not require attention from ambulance staff."

As a result the motorway closure was extended to Junction 6 until the three vehicles involved were recovered and the area was made safe.

The M54 was back open to Junction 7 at around 2pm but the A5 remained closed while emergency resurfacing work took place.

Drivers heading towards Shrewsbury and North Wales continued to be taken through Uckington and Atcham until the motorway was finally fully back open at 3.30pm.

Jordan Reynolds, aged 21 and from Shrewsbury, managed to avoid the traffic while she was travelling eastbound along the A5.

She described the scene of the pile-up, saying: "Some of the cars looked very badly damaged, but others weren't quite so bad.

"It was quite shocking to see how many cars were involved.

"The tailbacks started after that and it was probably for a good mile, further down the road the traffic had been stopped by a police car and there were even more tailbacks."

Meanwhile a man and a woman were left lying next to their motorbike on the motorway between junctions 3 and 2 after a crash at around 9.45am.

The pair were both taken to hospital in Wolverhampton, as Mr Arrowsmith explained: "The man was treated for lower back pain and chest pain whilst the woman had suffered an arm injury.

"She was given pain relief before they were both taken to New Cross Hospital for further assessment."