THERE was gridlock in Worcester after a motorcyclist smashed into the M5 central reservation and brought the motorway to a standstill.

The 40-year-old rider suffered "very severe" leg and arm injuries when his bike crashed on the northbound carriageway between Junction 5 (Droitwich) and Junction 6, (Worcester north). He was airlifted to University Hospital Birmingham in Selly Oak at around 3.20pm, yesterday afternoon. His condition was described as "critical" and he was undergoing surgery this morning.

The accident closed both carriageways for around 20 minutes to allow the county air ambulance to reach the injured man.

The southbound carriageway was fully reopened, but northbound, the motorway was reduced to the hard shoulder and one lane, causing a bottleneck.

Commuter traffic was ground to a crawl in Worcester for four hours, and roads around the city - particularly the A38 to Droitwich - became clogged as frustrated motorists attempted to find alternative routes home.

"I set off about 5pm and it took me around three-quarters of an hour to get out of the city centre," said one commuter, who asked not to be named.

Another irate driver attempting to get into Worcester from junction 7 said he spent one hour getting from the motorway turn to reach London Road. Traffic flow on the M5 did not return to normal until after 8pm.

A spokesman for AA Road Watch confirmed the cause of the chaos tailbacks caused by cars queuing to reach the M5.

"At its worse the motorway queues stretched back to junction 7.

Delays

"I wouldn't be surprised if some people faced delays of around two to three hours on their journey," he said