POLICE are appealing for witnesses of two separate crashes on the M5 in which a man died, another was arrested, and five more people were taken to hospital.

Both collisions happened on the southbound carriageway near Willand within 90 minutes of each other on Thursday, September 18.

Emergency services were called to the first incident near junction 28 at around 9.50pm.

Three vehicles were involved: a blue Vauxhall Zafira, a silver Ford Ka and a white Porsche Boxter.

The driver of the Ford Ka, a man in his 60s, was taken to hospital with serious injuries. His next of kin have been informed.

If you saw what happened or have dashcam footage that could help police investigate, contact the force online or by calling 101, quoting log number 806 of September 18.

The second crash happened at around 11.10pm near junction 27.

Four vehicles were involved: an orange Land Rover Discovery, a blue Volkswagen Transporter, a silver Toyota Prius and a black Kia Ceed.

The driver of the Toyota, a Plymouth man in his 30s, died at the scene. His next of kin have been informed.

A man in his 40s from the Cullompton area, who was driving the Transporter, was arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving and remains in police custody.

Four other people were taken to hospital for treatment, none of whom are believed to have sustained life-threatening injuries.

Police are appealing for witnesses and dashcam footage of the second crash too. You can contact the force online or by calling 101, quoting log number 859 of September 18.

The M5 was fully closed overnight and into Friday morning while investigations were carried out into both collisions.

“Our thoughts are with all those injured in these collisions and with the family and friends of the man who died,” Superintendent Joe Mathews of Devon and Cornwall Police said.

“These incidents resulted in two challenging scenes and members of the public held within tailbacks and traffic for several hours.

“Throughout the night, police officers and staff from Devon and Cornwall, Avon and Somerset and Dorset Police, plus the fire and ambulance services and Highways England worked tirelessly to undertake two complex investigations alongside assisting people held at the scene.

“Highways England colleagues were able to slowly release vehicles by dismantling the central barrier to allow a temporary contraflow.

“The welfare of members of the public and staff involved and impacted by these two difficult events was at the forefront for those leading the response.

“The M5 was impacted by closures for around 15 hours.

“We are keen to reassure that, alongside keeping people safe, our clear priority on behalf of the victims of these collisions and their families has been to undertake thorough and detailed investigations.

“Our aim of returning the M5 to normality was achieved, with the northbound carriageway opening around 11am and the southbound at approximately 1pm.

“The patience and understanding of people impacted by this event is genuinely appreciated.”