SEVERAL cars collided on the M5 near Bridgwater last night (Wednesday, April 3), causing police to close the road in both directions.

Surface water on the southbound carriageway between junction 23 (Bridgwater) and junction 24 (North Petherton) caused multiple cars to collide at around 11:30pm.

No one was injured, but the northbound carriageway also had to be shut in order to clear associated debris from the crash.

The incident was cleared and the road was re-opened by 1am.

A spokesperson for Avon and Somerset Police said: "We were called at around 11.30pm yesterday (Wednesday, April 3) to the M5 southbound between junction 23 (Bridgwater) and junction 24 (North Petherton) following reports of a collision.

“Several cars collided after skidding on surface water.

"Thankfully, no one was injured but the southbound carriageway was closed while the cars were recovered.

“A rolling roadblock was in place on the northbound carriageway as well while debris was cleared.

“The northbound was cleared by around 12:30am and the southbound carriageway was reopened at around 1am.

“We would like to thank motorists for their patience and understanding while the closure and roadblock were in place.”

A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) added: "We were called at 23:32hrs on Wednesday, April 3, to a road traffic accident near Bridgwater and we sent a double-crewed land ambulance and an operations officer to the scene.”