A coach driver has been killed following a serious crash on the M1 in Hertfordshire this morning (January 30).

Emergency services were called to the northbound carriageway near Hemel Hempstead at 5.25am and the motorway was closed.

A coach was among three vehicles involved in the collision and police say the driver - a man in his 50s - died at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.

A lorry and a silver Volkswagen Polo were the other two vehicles involved in the crash that happened between junction 8 for Hemel and 9 for Redbourn.

A photo shared on social media showed screens erected on the outside lane of the southbound carriageway to prevent passing motorists from seeing the crash.

Hertfordshire Constabulary says a 29-year-old woman has been arrested on suspicion of driving above the alcohol limit and causing death by dangerous driving. She remains in police custody at this time.

An appeal for witnesses and information is ongoing as police investigate the circumstances around the fatal collision.

Sergeant Simon Cooper, from the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire road policing unit said: "Our thoughts are with the man’s family and friends at this very difficult time.

"Our enquiries are continuing to establish the circumstances around what happened and we are appealing for any witnesses who haven’t yet spoken to police to please come forward.

"We’re particularly keen to hear from anyone who may have captured dash cam footage of the incident, or of the vehicles travelling in the area prior to it."

The M1 was closed for nearly 14 hours in total to allow for accident investigation work to be carried out and for repairs to be made to the carriageway.

At 2pm, Hertfordshire Constabulary warned the motorway could stay shut all night - all the way until 5am - meaning the carriageway would have been closed for nearly 24 hours.

However, the closure was lifted much earlier - shortly after 7pm, according to a tweet by National Highways.

All traffic was being diverted off the M1 at junction 8 and onto the A414 into Hemel Hempstead and then via Redbourn leading to queues throughout the day in these areas.

Anyone with information about the collision on the M1 today is asked to email Sergeant Cooper at simon.cooper@herts.police.uk or report online or call 101, quoting ISR 124 of 30 January, 2022.