Northamptonshire stretch of M1 closed after smash involving two lorries and a van

Highways England cameras showed queues building following the lunchtime smash on the M1

A serious crash has closed a stretch of the M1 southbound in Northamptonshire on Monday afternoon.

Police blocked off the carriageway while an Air Ambulance landed following the smash involving two lorries and a van just after Junction 18 for the A5.

The northbound carriageway is also at a standstill.

Police held are traffic on the M1 southbound while emergency services deal with the smash

Firefighters are also on the scene but Northamptonshire Police say they are unable to confirm how serious the injuries are.

A Northamptonshire Police spokesman said: "We are currently dealing with a serious collision on the M1 southbound, half a mile south of junction 18. The junction 18 slip road has been closed and the northbound carriageway is also at a standstill.

"Please avoid the area while our officers on the scene deal with this."

Highways England jam cams showed vehicles tailing back on the southbound entry slip road as three lanes were initially blocked by the smash, although traffic officers later had to close all four lanes.

Traffic is building on the A5 and A428 as drivers follow the diversion.

Highways England reported the crash just before 2pm and a spokesman said: "There are currently delays of 30 minutes against expected traffic and the incident is expected to clear between 4pm and 4.15pm."

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