Crashes close parts of M4

More than 200 yards of the barrier were damaged in the crash

Two crashes on the M4 have caused serious traffic problems for morning commuters.

Two lanes of the motorway remain closed after a lorry hit the central reservation following a collision with a taxi between Reading and Maidenhead.

Lane three on the eastbound and westbound carriageways between junctions 10 and 8 are expected to remain closed until Tuesday, according to police.

In a similar accident a car and its caravan crashed through the central reservation between junctions 18 and 19 near Bristol about 0600 BST.

The barrier did its job, it took the full impact of the crash and was very badly damaged Thames Valley Police

Lane two and three of the westbound carriageway were closed for several hours, and one lane of the eastbound carriageway was also shut while debris was cleared.

No-one was seriously injured in the accident, according to police.

In Berkshire, more than 200 yards of central reservation barrier were damaged in the crash.

A spokeswoman from Thames Valley Police said: "The barrier did its job, it took the full impact of the crash and was very badly damaged.

"It was lucky that this accident happened at 0330 BST in the morning and there was very little traffic on the road," she said.

The lorry driver was not injured but is suffering from shock while the taxi driver was treated in the Royal Berkshire Hospital but his injuries are not considered serious.