By Mary De- Wind
The M1 northbound was closed this morning (March 22) after lorries collided and burst into flames in the early hours.
At 1:30am the fire service were called to reports of two lorries on fire. The fire service reported that one person was taken to Leicester Royal Infirmary after the crash. Firefighters stayed on the scene as a safety measure.
Highways England were still trying to free up traffic but drivers were stuck on the carriage way for more than four hours.
The M1 northbound was still shut at 10:30am as emergency services cleared the scene. The southbound carriageway remained open.
There were reports of heavy traffic on the M26 Northbound towards the M1 junction throughout the morning. Area Traffic Control advised drivers to allow extra time while driving throughout the day and to expect heavy traffic on the A426, A5 and M69.
Leicestershire Police tweeted at 08:40am: “Northbound between Junction 20 and 21 still remains closed. Please use an alternative route”.
As of 10:30am, there were still queues on the M69 when approaching Leicester, but the traffic was moving. Highways England had not provided any news as to whether the M1 northbound would reopen.
