HIGH-TECH laser scanning equipment will help reduce motorway closures after a crash.

And West Yorkshire Police will get £79,135 to purchase the equipment.

That will curb some of the huge traffic jams which build up on the M62 after a crash.

The technology saves time by quickly making a 3-D image of the whole crash site, rather than investigators painstakingly surveying multiple sections of a scene.

The digital image of the site can then be viewed on a computer screen remotely allowing investigators to take measurements of where vehicles are in relation to each other and examine evidence.

West Yorkshire Police’s funding is part of a £2.7m grant announced by the government today.

It will mean that in the event of a crash on the M62 or M1, the motorway closure should be shorter thanks to the 3-D technology.

Road minister Mike Penning said: “There is nothing more frustrating than being stuck in a traffic jam for hours on end. But even worse than that is the shocking £1 billion cost of those lost hours for our economy.

“That is why we are determined to improve the clear-up of accidents so we can get our motorways re-opened as quickly as possible.

“Today’s £220,000 Department for Transport funding award for West, North, and South Yorkshire police will see 3-D laser scanners rolled out quickly where they are needed most. This will benefit drivers by reducing incident clear up times by 39 minutes on average.