M1 traffic: Crash causes chaos on major UK motorway as queues stretched for 11 miles
The M1 came to a standstill near Luton Airport after a crash closed one lane and brought drivers to a halt.
A crash on the M1 caused severe delays of nearly an hour for rush-hour commuters today. Live traffic cameras showed queues stretching for 11 miles since the incident happened at about 7am today (April 8).
The crash happened between junctions 9 and 11 on the northbound carriageway. The nature of the crash is not yet known however police have confirmed they were not called to the incident.
The road looked completely gridlocked as people headed to work and school, before it reopened at about 8am with traffic returning to normal at about 11am.
This live blog has now closed, please read live coverage below.
Police confirm they were not called to incident
Police have now confirmed they were not called to the incident and traffic is now flowing as normal.
Delays remain despite road reopening
There is still slow-moving traffic on the M1 near Luton Airport following the crash earlier this morning.
Traffic is moving slowly between junction 12 and 11 southbound, but northbound traffic is back to normal.
Police contacted for comment with cause of crash unknown
Bedfordshire Police has been contacted for comment with the cause of this morning's crash on the M1 still unknown.
Traffic is still tailing back for miles despite the road reopening.
Live pictures show long tailbacks on M1
Live pictures from Highways England have shown the extent of 11-mile-long tailbacks on the M1.
Lorries and cars can be seen queuing in all three lanes despite the road being cleared minutes ago.
Long delays remain despite crash scene being cleared
Highways England has now confirmed that the crash scene has been cleared however there are still long tailbacks on the M1.
According to Highways England traffic is still tailing back miles and is reported as "not moving" from junction 12 to 10 southbound and 9 to 10 northbound.
Crash could cause delays for those heading to Luton Airport
The crash on the M1 could cause delays for those heading to Luton Airport, which is located close to the scene of the incident.
Currently, National Highways is expecting to reopen the road at about 10.45am.
National Highways officials say road could take hours to reopen
National Highways say delays will remain on the road for hours now having previously predicted the M1 reopening by 8.45am.
It now says the road will reopen at about 10.45am, with slow-moving traffic in the area.
Those travelling are being told to expect 30-minute delays.
Good morning!
Good morning my name is Casey Cooper-Fiske and I will be providing live updates on the crash on the M1 as we get them.
