Man killed in five-lorry pile-up

Traffic was diverted from the area

One man has died and four other people have been injured in a pile-up involving five lorries in Cumbria.

The accident happened on the A66 at Coupland Beck near Appleby on Tuesday morning and involved two Army lorries transporting personnel carriers.

About 10 ambulances and the Pride of Cumbria Air Ambulance were scrambled when one of the lorries jack-knifed and collided head-on with another vehicle.

The road was reopened at about 0700 BST on Wednesday morning.

Military lorries

Traffic was diverted through Brough and Kirkby Stephen. The other vehicles involved were two Argos lorries and an HGV from Ireland.

The emergency services had to wait for heavy lifting equipment and Army supervision to recover the military lorries.

Inspector Paul Kissack, of Cumbria Police, said: "The two lead vehicles, an Argos lorry and an Army lorry, collided with each other in a passing impact causing another Army vehicle to jack-knife across the carriageway.

"As a result another Argos lorry collided head-on with the jack-knifed vehicle."