Lorry drivers were injured in a major motorway smash.

And the subsequent shutdown of the busy M62 motorway created chaos on roads across Huddersfield.

The M62 was completely closed in both directions between Ainley Top and Rishworth after two HGVs collided on the westbound side and burst through the central reservation onto the eastbound carriageway.

The accident involved two brand-new lorries which it's believed were being delivered when one apparently ran into the back of the other and both careered through the high-tension steel wire barriers between the carriageways.

The lorries were left straddling the two outside lanes of both carriageways.

One driver, believed to be aged 48, was flown to hospital by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and another driver, said to be 70 and less seriously hurt, was taken to hospital by road.

A van was also believed to have been involved in the crash.

Robert Willsmore, who recorded the video above, said: "As I passed I could see the driver of the first lorry still sat in his cab with the engine running, he looked okay.

"I couldn't see anybody in the second truck and no sign of the van on the other side of the carriageway.

"The lorries wiped out sections of the central reservation at two different points, and it is incredibly lucky that the rear axle of the second truck has snagged on the wire otherwise it would of rolled across all three lanes of the eastbound carriageway.

"Debris scattered across the middle and outside lane of westbound carriageway. Remarkably I didn't see any emergency vehicles on their way to attend the scene until I was travelling up the M606 towards Bradford. It was so lucky neither of the trucks collected any other vehicles on their way to their final resting point - it easily could have led to fatalities."

The accident, at about 2.30pm, happened on the stretch close to Scammonden which does not have the concrete wall between the east and west sides.

Firefighters were called to deal with the wreckage.

Three fire engines from Huddersfield and Elland approached the scene for the west along with a technical rescue unit from Cleckheaton while four appliances from Greater Manchester came in the opposite direction.

Watch Commander Jimmy Johnstone, of Huddersfield Fire Station, said it appeared one lorry had run into the back of the other and the younger driver had sustained severe head injuries.

He added: "We had to go all the way down the hard shoulder because traffic was already backing up.

"There was debris all over the motorway and the HGVs were straddled across the high-tension central reservation barriers and they probably stopped the vehicles reaching the first and second lanes.

"We understand they were brand-new wagons -with nothing on the back- being deliverered.

"We helped paramedics to remove the casualties."

The incident caused huge delays for motorists throughout the afternoon and evening.

Kathryn Hill took this picture of traffic backed up at Ainley Top

Entry points to the motorway at J22, 23 and 24 westbound were all closed by police and westbound traffic was also being diverted from the motorway at junctions further east.

The westbound side remained closed for over five hours causing queues back more than 15 miles to the edge of Leeds and traffic chaos through Huddersfield.

Some vehicles that were stuck on slip roads were allowed to reverse back up but many drivers were trapped on the motorway for hours.

Commuters heading through Lindley and Salendine Nook also became tangled in the jams as Ainley Top and Outlane roundabouts both became clogged up.

The A62 Manchester Road also ground to a halt at rush hour as people looked for alternative routes over the Pennines.

Two lanes of the eastbound side were re-opened at 5pm but police accident investigators kept the westbound side closed until after 8pm. Two lanes were eventually opened at around 8.30pm, and both carriageways were fully re-opened at around 10.15pm.