Police were called to the scene of an accident on the M6 motorway near Carlisle just after midnight this morning.

The crash, which took place near junction 44 on the northern edge of the city, blocked one of the motorway's southbound lanes for nearly two hours.

A spokeswoman for Cumbria Police said: "Police were called at 12:01am today to the report of a one road traffic collision on the M6 Southbound near J44."

Highways England reported the accident via social media shortly after midnight, and provided an update just before 2am to announce the lane had reopened.

The police spokeswoman added: "The incident involved a Toyota Yaris.

"The driver, an 88-year-old woman from Carlisle was taken to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle as a precaution."