Two people in hospital after crash on M1 near Watford

Two people were taken to hospital after the collision which happened just south of Watford shortly after 7am.

Police say two vehicles were involved and two lanes of the motorway had to be closed between junctions five and four, causing gridlock in the area.

At least one of the vehicles is believed to have struck the central reservation and a woman had to be freed from a vehicle, with Hertfordshire Fire & Rescue using specialist cutting equipment.

Emergency services can be seen on the M1 near Watford this morning. Two lanes were closed. Credit: Highways England

Initially, police and paramedics attended after receiving an emergency call at around 7.20am. The fire service says it was called to assist at 8.09am and four crews, including two from Watford, one from Hemel Hempstead, and one from Borehamwood responded.

Ambulances took two people to hospital - Hertfordshire Constabulary has said their injuries are not believed to be serious.

Lanes two and three of the M1 were closed for around two hours and Highways England reported delays of up to an hour on the southbound carriageway, stretching back to Bricket Wood.

On the right is queuing traffic southbound at Watford approaching the crash. On the right is northbound traffic exiting onto the Berrygrove Roundabout, which was incredibly busy. Credit: Highways England

The crash also caused severe delays on the A41 with queues from the Berrygrove junction (M1 at junction 5 Watford) all the way down to Elstree.

Police said the M1 was cleared at around 9.30am and all of the traffic in the area had been cleared by 10.30am.