Officers are appealing for witnesses after a van collided with a pedestrian on the M40 yesterday morning (February 16).

The pedestrian sustained serious injuries following the incident, and a section of the motorway near Warwick was closed for around five hours while emergency services attended the scene.

At around 1.38am officers were called to reports of a disturbance at motorway services on the M40 southbound, to find a man had started walking down the motorway.

The lorry then collided with him between Barnhill Services and Junction 12 and he was left unconscious.

The white panel van did not stop.

Police managed to get the man to safety before West Midlands Ambulance Service reached the scene and took the man to University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire, where he remains.

"Anyone who witnessed the incident, or anyone who has dash cam footage of the van is asked to contact us by calling 101 or visiting www.warwickshire.police.uk/ro/report, citing incident number 18 of 16 February," a Warwickshire Police statement said.

"We would also like to speak with the driver of a light-coloured car, possibly an Audi, who swerved to avoid the male.

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"Please get in touch if you were this driver as you may have vital information. 

"As is routine when police are in attendance at the time of such a serious incident, it was referred to our Professional standards Department who have made a referral to the IOPC."

A nine-mile section of the M40 was closed between J15 Warwick and J12 until 7.30am on Friday morning, and National Highways reported there was two miles of congestion when it reopened.