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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Kris Gourlay

West Lothian M8 driver reported after five-car pile up causes seven hour closure

Police in West Lothian have confirmed a 23-year-old man will be reported for careless driving after a five-car collision caused huge delays in the M8 on Saturday afternoon, July 16.

The busy motorway was closed twice in quick succession after police dealt with an 'incident' in the early afternoon, with traffic completely ground to a halt, as motorists were pictured getting out of their vehicles to see what was going on.

Two hours later, when the road reopened between Junction 3A and 4, up the road, at Junction 4 and 4A, a five-car collision prompted a quick response from emergency services and a section of the road was closed in both directions.

READ MORE: Covid Scotland: Edinburgh's worst infection hotspots as cases remain high

An emergency helicopter was also drafted in after the second incident, with officers now confirming a young man has been reported, with the road not reopening until 9:15pm that night.

They said: "Following the multi-vehicle crash on the M8 between junctions 4 and 4a yesterday, Saturday, 16 July, a 23-year-old man will be reported for careless driving. The road reopened at around 9.15pm.

"Enquiries are ongoing and any drivers with dashcam footage should contact officers on 101 quoting incident 2145 of 16 July."

Live traffic cameras from the area showed huge tailbacks on the motorway between Edinburgh and Glasgow, with police and TRISS escorting traffic off the hard shoulder and onto a nearby slip road to avoid both incidents.

The first incident that took place and forced the closure between Junction 3A and 4 is currently unknown, although Police Scotland confirmed it involved a 'concern for a person' call.

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