A pileup near Stoke-on-Trent which left two people dead contributed to travel chaos in the Midlands at the start of the Bank Holiday getaway yesterday.

A Staffordshire couple was killed in the eight-vehicle crash on the M6 northbound at junction 16 at about 4am yesterday.

Another person was injured in the accident near Stoke-on-Trent, which involved five lorries, two vans and a car.

It was believed to have been partly caused by foggy conditions.

The accident saw the motorway closed northbound beyond junction 16 until about 1.30pm, causing hours of delays for drivers.

A Highways Agency spokesman said people slowing down to look at the accident site had also delayed traffic on the southbound side of the motorway.

A separate accident involving two lorries later meant two southbound lanes were closed between junctions 14 and 13.

One of the lorries was carrying paint, which had to be cleaned from the road surface, further delaying traffic.

The M42 southbound had to be closed at junction 7 at about 4.30pm after a crash between a car and a motorbike. The rider of the motorbike, in his 20s, was airlifted to Selly Oak Hospital, and the route was closed for half an hour.

By rush hour most of the routes were open but traffic was moving slowly.

"Since the early morning accidents and break-downs all over the West Midlands have caused pockets of traffic congestion all day," said a spokesman for information agency, Traffic Link.

"People who set off early to beat the traffic have been worst affected. You have people on the road who don't usually drive on motorways and larger volumes of traffic than usual.

"The sunny weather also means that more people will be on the roads. It has been nuts since the morning - busier than last year."