THE M5 has reopened following two crashes in which one person has died and a second seriously injured.

Drivers faced gridlock after the two crashes this morning.

The M5 southbound was fully closed between junctions 26 and 25 after a motorcyclist suffered multiple injuries in a crash this morning.

A stretch of the same carriageway between junction 28 and 29, in Exeter, was also closed after several cars collided with a body on the road.

Taunton's toneway was heavily congested and the A358 east of junction 25 was also gridlocked. Drivers faced long queues on Wellington New Road heading past Bishop's Hull and Rumwell, but traffic has now returned to normal.

Further south, police are appealing for witnesses after a man has died in a crash on A30.

Police were notified at around 7am today (February 13) to reports of a head-on collision between a BMW and a HGV lorry on the A30 Upottery near Honiton.

The driver of the BMW was declared deceased at the scene. The driver has yet to have been identified and therefore next of kin have yet to have been informed.

A police spokesperson said: “We believe that moments prior to the collision a dark BMW attempted to overtake a Silverback Tipper HGV milk tanker or chemical tanker.

“This HGV did not stop following the collision which took place moments later in which the driver of the BMW died.

“As a matter of urgency we are urging the driver of the tanker to get in touch with the police so we can get their account of what happened.

“If you were driving a silver HGV tanker this morning on the A30 at around 6.50am please contact police on 101 quoting log number 127 for February 13.”

Closures remain in place in both directions between the A35 and A303 whilst investigative work continues into this incident.