A LORRY driver had to have his arm amputated after his vehicle overturned on a Worcestershire motorway, shedding its load of glass bottles.

Fire crews from Bromsgrove, Redditch and Worcester attended the crash, which happened on the link road between the M42 and M5 southbound, near Bromsgrove, at around 4.45am this morning.

The crash caused chaos on the motorway network, as the police had to close the road while trying to clear broken glass.

Commuters were diverted via the A38, causing tailbacks on the northbound M5 from Bromsgrove back to Droitwich, and for four to five miles along the M42.

The lorry driver, who was trapped for around two hours, was taken to Selly Oak hospital where he was said to be in a stable condition.

A spokeswoman for Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service NHS Trust said he was trapped by his leg, and one of his arms was amputated before he was taken to hospital.

Leading Firefighter Ian Winkworth, of Bromsgrove fire station, said the cause of the crash was unknown.

"Somehow the lorry ended up on its side, but we are not sure of the reason," he said.