THOUSANDS of motorists suffered hours of traffic misery today following an early morning collision on the M62.

The eastbound carriageway at Leeds was closed following a crash involving two vans and a motorcycle.

Click below for a picture gallery taken by stuck motorists and our photographers

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Emergency services were called to the scene on the carriageway between Junctions 26 and 27 at 5.42am.

A West Yorkshire Fire Service spokesman said: “When we arrived all three carriageways were blocked, we had to use the emergency hard shoulder to get through. 

"One van had gone into the back of another and about a hundred yards down the road was a motorcycle with the rider on the middle lane. He was receiving first aid when we arrived and was later taken to hospital.”

Police said his injuries were serious but not life threatening. 

Click here to see what stuck commuters were saying on Twitter this morning

The motorway collision led to traffic congestion elsewhere. Garreth Goodison, 21, of Fitzwilliam Street, Huddersfield, said it took him nearly three hours to get into his work at Bradford.

He said: "I set off on the X6 bus from Huddersfield at 7.50am and once we got to Asda at Bradley the traffic was just not moving.

"I got straight onto Twitter to find out what was happening. Fortunately I had my Kindle with me so I was able to catch up on some reading."

Police said the motorway reopened at 10am.

June Cockburn, a 51-year-old teacher at Paddock Junior, Infant and Nursery School, was another person caught up in this morning's traffic mayhem.

She said: "I set off from my home in Clayton, Bradford, at 7.05am and noticed the traffic was a little bit heavier than usual. I got onto the M606 and nearly ran into the car in front of me.
"I soon realised the traffic was going nowhere and switched off my ignition a couple of times. I found out from the radio that there had been an accident and then it was just crawl, crawl, crawl. 
"I phoned my school and someone joked that they hoped I had got plenty of marking in my boot for me to catch up on!
"When I eventually got onto the M62 it was clear and I could see the traffic queueing the other way. I finally reached school at 8.20am. It normally only takes me 35 minutes." Were you stuck? How long did it take for you to get to your destination? Let us know how your M62 morning panned out.