Traffic chaos as fatal crash closes M74

SCOTLAND’S only motorway link to the south – the M74 – was closed for hours yesterday following a serious accident which killed one person and injured two others.

The crash involved a car and two motorcycles.

At one stage, the road was shut in both directions, with hundreds of vehicles stranded on the northbound carriageway just south of Lesmahagow in Lanarkshire.

Police confirmed one person had died and two others were taken to hospital after the accident, which occurred around 1.40pm.

Traffic that could divert from the motorway was redirected northwards along the B7078, adding an extra hour to journeys.

Later in the afternoon, the A7 was closed in both directions following another accident.

The M74 reopened in the evening north and southbound.