A major motorway in Yorkshire which was forced to close for more than 12 hours following a serious crash has now reopened.

The M18 motorway in South Yorkshire had been closed northbound between junctions 1 and 2 near Rotherham since the early hours of this morning (Saturday, September 7).

National Highways first tweeted about the road closure around 3am today saying that ‘trapped’ cars had been asked to turn around and all other traffic is to be diverted.

It said in an update issued at 3.30pm that the road had now fully reopened and that delays were ‘clearing well’.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service said it was called at 2.34am this morning and sent two ambulances, an operational commander and a critical care paramedic to the scene.