The M5 southbound has reopened to traffic following an incident involving an overturned lorry.

A lorry carrying farm machinery overturned at junction 27 on the M5 near Tiverton just before 2am and collided with a bridge and the central reservation barrier.

A spokesman for Highways England said: "The bridge suffered only superficial damage but all three lanes of the southbound carriageway were damaged in the incident and subsequent diesel spillage.

"The incident caused 40-minute delays in the morning peak and traffic was diverted off the motorway and back on via the slip roads. Lane 3 northbound was also closed past the scene for the barrier work, but that too has been cleared."

Highways England has since worked to recover the vehicles and complete barrier repairs, resurfacing and lining in time to reopen all three lanes in time for the evening rush hour – two hours ahead of the estimated completion time.

Sean Dowding, Highways England operations manager, said: “There was significant damage to the carriageway, but our teams have worked very hard to carry out the repairs and resurfacing work in time for the evening rush hour.

“We thank all drivers for their patience during the closure."

Drivers can get up-to-the-minute travel information by following Twitter, phoning the Highways England Information Line on 0300 123 5000 or by accessing the website: www.trafficengland.com