A HOLE that appeared on the M5 caused major disruption for motorists.

The hole, six inches deep and a foot long according to Gloucestershire Police, led to the closure of two lanes on the M5's northbound carriageway on Saturday afternoon between Junction 9 at Tewkesbury, and Junction 8 at Strensham, Worcestershire.

Cars damaged after hitting the hole had to be moved to the hard shoulder.

At around 3pm Gloucestershire Police tweeted: "Lanes 1 & 2 are closed on the M5 NB carriageway.

"This is due to a hole in the second lane - several cars have sustained damage.

"This is expected to cause delays/tailbacks - motorists are advised to seek alternative routes."

There were long tailbacks, stretching as far as two miles long, as emergency repairs were carried out to fix the repair.

At around 7pm last night, four hours after the problem began, National Highways reported the surface defect had been repaired and all lanes were back running as normal.

A poll of more than 5,600 motorists carried out in August by watchdog Transport Focus indicated that nearly one in five car and van drivers rated the quality of surfaces on England’s motorways and major A roads as “poor”.

Anthony Smith, chief executive of Transport Focus, said: “Road users tell us they want to see England’s major roads improved with better roads surfaces and fewer potholes and cracks.

After Highways England rebranded to National Highways in the summer Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said National Highways would be delivering a £27 billion plan to improve roads and make journeys "safer, smoother and greener.”