A major road was closed for more than eight hours after a car transporter ploughed through a central reservation and overturned.

Vehicles were strewn across the southbound carriageway of the A42, in Measham, as the transporter spilled its load on to the highway.

The crash took place at about 8.40am yesterday.

Emergency services, including firefighters from Moira and Ashby, were called to the scene and the southbound carriageway was closed between the A511, junction 13, at Ashby, and the M42, junction 11, at Appleby Magna, south of Measham.

Slip roads on to the southbound carriageway were also closed at junctions 13 and 12 and northbound traffic restricted.

A police spokesman said the transporter, which was travelling north, veered out of control and went through the central reservation and into oncoming traffic.

He said: "The incident happened just north of junction 11.

"The car transporter went through the central reservation and overturned in the southbound carriageway. The driver of the vehicle was treated for minor injuries and taken to Queen's Hospital, in Burton. No other vehicle was involved in the incident. The southbound carriageway and one lane of the northbound carriageway was closed to allow officers to investigate and engineers to repair the barrier."

The road remained closed at 5pm, causing long tailbacks in both directions of the A511, at Coalville and Ashby, and the A444 at Donisthorpe.