An overnight fatality on the M5 motorway in Gloucestershire caused the southbound carriageway to be closed for nine hours on Thursday.

The southbound carriageway was closed between junction 10 (A419) and junction 11 (A40) between 5.30am and around 2.30pm.

It was closed by police after a motorist spotted and reported a small silver hatchback car down an embankment around a mile south of the junction 10 exit for Cheltenham just before 5.30am.

Officers attended and a man, believed to be the driver, was declared dead at the scene by paramedics. Enquiries are ongoing to identify the man's next of kin.

No one else was in the vehicle.

Initial enquiries have been made and it is believed that the car got on the M5 at junction 4A at Bromsgrove and travelled down the M5 between 10.30pm and 11.30pm yesterday (Wednesday  August 7) before the collision happened.

Collision investigators are asking lorry and car drivers who were travelling on the M5 last night between those hours and who may have dash cam footage that could assist police to call 101 or email 101@gloucestershire.police.uk and quote incident 72 of August 8.