POLICE were forced to close a section of the M6 in Lancashire for more than six hours after a crash which left one person dead.

The accident involved a van, a car, a tanker and a lorry carrying two tractors and happened shortly after 6pm last night.

It is believed the lorry jackknifed across the motorway and collided with the tanker which in turn collided with the van and the car.

Police said the van driver, believed to be from the Preston area, was killed.

Tanker driver Robert Chorley, 48, from Salford, and Marie Roberts, 29, from Blackpool, were both treated for minor injuries.

Police said the driver of the lorry carrying two tractors was arrested after being treated for minor injuries.

The northbound section of the motorway between the Samlesbury junction and the exit for Longridge was completely closed and traffic diverted through Preston.

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.