Rush hour chaos as M8 westbound closed for hours after serious crash

The M8 has reopened westbound hours after a serious two-vehicle crash on Monday morning.

Traffic Scotland confirmed that the carriageway was shut due to the collision near Junction 1 shortly after 9am.

The road reopened after around nine and a half hours at around 6.40pm

Travellers on their way to Edinburgh Airport have been urged to leave “with plenty extra time”.

It comes as the festive traffic build up begins with drivers across the UK expected to make 21 million leisure trips between Monday and Christmas Eve.

Traffic Scotland

Getaway traffic will climb slowly at the start of the week before jumping from 2.2 million trips on Thursday to 3.2 million on Friday, the last working day before Christmas Day, the RAC said.

Emergency services attended the scene earlier in the day.

Drivers have been advised to take alternative routes with long delays.

Traffic Scotland said queues were moving slower on the A720 westbound with travel times of around 25mins.

Police Scotland has been contacted for comment.

Follow STV News on WhatsApp

Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country