A woman suffered a broken arm and leg in a three-vehicle crash on the M62 near Bradford today.

The smash happened on the eastbound carriageway near junction 26 (Chain Bar) at about 1.30pm.

Police closed the eastbound carriageway following the crash and only re-opened it at about 5pm.

The closure caused traffic misery for motorists on the M62, M606 and some nearby roads, with vehicles at a standstill for most of the afternoon.

One man said many people got out of their cars during the almost five-hour wait, with some setting up a makeshift tight-rope between two fences, others eating a picnic on the roadside, and some changing babies' nappies.

A police spokesman said the traffic build-up was made worse by an "unusual" amount of breakdowns among the vehicles that were stuck, particularly larger vehicles.

Some traffic was diverted off the M62 at junction 26, along the A58 and A650 to rejoin the motorway at junction 27 (Gildersome)

Police said the collision happened when the van involved hit the back of one of the cars, sending it into the injured woman's vehicle.

Fire crews from Batley, Morley and Hunslet attended the scene and freed the injured woman.