England's main north-south motorway the M1 was totally closed yesterday morning after a body was found on the road, bringing chaos to traffic in the Yorkshire area.

South Yorkshire police said the motorway was shut in both directions between junctions 36 and 37 near Barnsley after the body was discovered on a slip road at about 4 a.m. "It appears the person may have fallen from a footbridge... and subsequently been struck by a number of vehicles," a police spokesman said.

"Officers are examining the scene and a number of vehicles."

Police later told the BBC they were confident the body was that of a white male from the Barnsley area. The road closure caused massive disruption in the surrounding area, travel information service Trafficlink said, with another accident closing the A1 near Doncaster.

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