Motorway closes twice in two days

Traffic at a standstill on the M1 on Wednesday

Motorists were stuck in 20-mile tailbacks on the M1 as the motorway was closed for the second time in two days.

The northbound carriageway was closed for an hour after a lorry caught fire near to junction 19, on the border of Northamptonshire and Leicestershire.

Two further collisions which occurred earlier, near to Watford Gap services, added to the congestion.

The M1 was closed near Northampton for three hours after a lorry caught fire on the hard shoulder on Wednesday.

The tailbacks stretched back as far back as junction 14 following the road closure at 1700 BST.

The carriageway reopened at about 1730 BST.