UPDATED: Series of collisions cause travel chaos around Northamptonshire

Snow has caused stretches of motorway in Northamptonshire to become hazardous, while one of the county's busiest roads remains shut.
The A14 has been closed for several hours because of the snow. Picture courtesy of Northamptonshire Police.The A14 has been closed for several hours because of the snow. Picture courtesy of Northamptonshire Police.
The A14 has been closed for several hours because of the snow. Picture courtesy of Northamptonshire Police.

A series of collisions around the county are causing lengthy delays while emergency teams work to recover vehicles. Police officers have even reported seeing vehicles abandoned in snow-hit areas.

Among the incidents, the downpour has left the outer lanes of the M1 at junction 16 for Northampton "impassable" in both directions according to AA Travel, although there are no lane closures in place. Motorists are also reporting tricky conditions in both directions at junction 17, for the M45.

A fallen tree has partially blocked the A508 Harborough Road Both between A14 and Draughton Road, while there here has also been numerous reports of fallen trees between Kelmarsh and Maidwell.

The A14 is still closed between Junctions 1 and 3 following a number of collisions on the stretch.

A jackknifed trailer is among the incidents between the M1 junction 19 and B669 Kettering Road.

In the last few minutes Highways England has tweeted: "Our Traffic Officer patrols are continuing to work their way through numerous stranded vehicles on the #A14 between J7 & the #M1/#M6 to try & get traffic moving again. Police are also conducting welfare checks for those caught in the traffic, thanks for your continued patience."

The snow across the county is expected to have cleared up completely by 1pm, though a yellow weather warning for ice has been put in place by the Met Office for this evening.

Between 4pm today and 11am tomorrow motorists are being advised to drive with extra care as snow-hit stretches ice over.

Updates to follow.