ONE person died and two others were injured in a collision involving five vehicles on the M60 today.

Police say a heavy goods vehicle and a van collided head-on near junction 13 of the Eccles interchange.

It is thought three other cars travelling clockwise collided into the wreckage. Police closed the whole junction.

The driver, who police have not named, died instantly. Two other motorists were taken to Salford's Hope Hospital suffering minor injuries. Their condition is said to be comfortable.

Fire crews from Eccles and four ambulances rushed to the scene just before noon.

The junction, one of the busiest in the North-west, is currently undergoing an extensive programme of maintenance. Seven bridges along parts of the M60 including Eccles and Worsley are being repaired in a project likely to take around a year.

Police say the HGV and van had collided inside a section of the roadworks. The whole junction was shut in a clockwise direction bringing traffic to a standstill. Police reported traffic backed-up to Junction 9, Sale. Diversions were installed.

A police investigation team attended the scene and have launched an inquiry. A police spokesman said: "Following the accident on the M60 at 11.43am, we can confirm that one man has died."