Five die in 'wrong-way' M1 smash

A VW Passat heading north on the southbound carriageway of the M1 near Luton collided with a Jaguar going south late on Saturday night, Bedfordshire Police said.

The driver of the Passat and four people in the Jaguar - two men and two women from the London area - were pronounced dead at the scene.

Both cars were badly mangled by the collision, which happened between junctions 10 and 11 and scattered debris over a large part of the carriageway.

Inspector Colin Bonner from Bedfordshire Road Policing Unit said he thought the Passat driver - believed to be Polish - was heading south before he turned round and started driving north. Roadworks were in place near the scene of the accident.

He told Sky News: "We don't know why this driver turned around - it may have been roadworks, he may have been confused or ill.

"We are desperate to hear from anyone who saw what happened."

Gary Sanderson from the East of England Ambulance Service said the five crash victims were "quickly" pronounced dead by paramedics.

He said: "The cars were unrecognisable and there was nothing that could be done for the people involved."

The motorway was closed for nearly six hours while the emergency services removed the bodies and wreckage and examined the crash scene.