A lorry driver whose vehicle overturned onto the central reservation of the M5 this morning has died from their injuries, police have confirmed.
The driver, who has not been named, was killed when their HGV crashed on the northbound M5 at the junction with the M4 at the Almondsbury interchange near Bristol at around 8am.
Police said the lorry driver had just joined the M5 from the M4 heading north when the vehicle overturned.
Police have issued an appeal for witnesses to the crash, which happened when the motorway was fairly quiet.
The M5 in both directions has been closed, and is expected to be closed for most of the rest of the day.
Diversions are in place and drivers are being advised to leave more time for their journey. You can follow the latest updates on the motorways around Bristol here.
A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset police said the driver's family is being supported.
"We’re appealing for witnesses following a serious collision on the M5 involving one lorry," he confirmed. "
At about 8am, an HGV travelling northbound on the M5, having just joined from the M4, overturned onto the central reservation. Sadly, the driver of the lorry has died from their injuries and we’ll be deploying specialist officers to support their next of kin.
"The M5 is currently closed both north and southbound between J14 Thornbury and J15 Almondsbury Interchange. Highways England will be issuing live-time updates on the collision on their Twitter feed @HighwaysSWest," he added.
Police described the closure as a 'significant' one - that would take hours, because as well as the work to recover the lorry, collision investigation teams will also be at work on the scene.
"A significant closure is expected due to the investigation ongoing at the scene, the work required to recover the lorry from the carriageway and the emergency repair work to be carried out by Highways England," the police spokesperson said.
"Diversions are in place. If your journey is essential, please try to avoid this area and use alternative routes.
"If you saw this collision and haven’t yet spoken with the police, please call us on 101 and give the call handler the reference number 5221011328," he added.
