National Highways has confirmed the M4 has reopened after a serious crash caused hours of traffic chaos.

The motorway was closed in both directions for several hours on Tuesday, March 26, while Avon and Somerset Police dealt with an incident between junction 18, near Bath, and junction 19 at Bristol.

The eastbound carriageway reopened at around 4pm but the road remained blocked to traffic westbound until shortly before 7.30pm.

During this time long queues formed between Bath and Chippenham, and at the exit lane to Chippenham, while some vehicles were held between Bath and Bristol.

National Highways has confirmed that the road has now been reopened heading from Bath to Bristol, although one lane remains shut while recovery of the vehicles involved in the incident is completed.

There remains congestion in the area while traffic clears and delays of around 45 minutes are affecting drivers between junctions 17 and 18 at the time of writing.

Police carried out investigations at the scene throughout the afternoon following the serious incident.

An air ambulance had also been in attendance to help with the emergency service response.

Officers are yet to confirm how many vehicles were involved in the crash.