THE SOUTHBOUND section of the M42 between Junction 2 (Redditch) and the junction for the M5 (Bromsgrove) has been closed after a serious crash and fire at 8pm last night.
The collision, involving three cars and a lorry and subsequent blaze, has meant emergency road surface repairs have had to be carried out.
All three vehicles caught fire with the lorry rupturing its fuel tank, spilling diesel across all three lanes.
After the fire service extinguished the blaze, the police conducted an investigation which ran into the early hours of this morning (Monday).
Highways England Traffic officers worked through the night to support the police and fire crews by managing and directing traffic.
Having assessed the scene while police investigations were still underway, it was established that the fire caused substantial damage to lane 1 and the hard shoulder.
Those works began about 5am when the police investigation was complete.
A suggested diversion route, Highways England says, is to leave at Junction 2 following the black hollow circle symbol, via the southbound A441 to the A448 at Redditch, before taking the A448 (Bromsgrove Highway) westbound to Bromsgrove before finally taking the A38 southbound to re-join the M5 at J5 (Droitwich).
Drivers may wish to consider alternative routes and should allow extra time for their journey, Highways England added.
