Emergency services were last night clearing the mangled wreckage of vehicles involved in a horrific and deadly motorway smash.

Tanks returning from the Iraq war killed five people and injured at least six more when they were catapulted across the busy M1.

The Scimitars bound for Catterick Garrison, North Yorkshire, were hurled into the path of oncoming traffic when their civilian transporter jack-knifed.

The carriageway was torn apart and hundreds of people were trapped in their vehicles for hours as emergency services swarmed across the debris-strewn scene.

And among those caught up in the chaos - which brought much of the East Midlands to a standstill - were legions of fans heading for Middlesbrough and last night's England-Slovakia match.

The three eight-tonne Scimitars - lightly-armoured reconnaissance tanks still in their desert colours - were being transported from Hampshire to Catterick.

Although the tanks are normally operated by the Queen's Royal Lancers, who are moving to the garrison from Germany later this summer, the hired transporter was being driven by a civilian and no military personnel were involved.

According to the Ministry of Defence, the transporter jack-knifed after another vehicle pulled out in front of it near Lutterworth, Leicestershire. The Scimitars were then scattered across the roadway, causing an 11-vehicle pile-up.

About 60 emergency teams, together with an air ambulance, spent most of the day at the scene, which a witness described as "pure carnage".

Motorist Brian Brooks said: "The tanks didn't even look damaged. They just smashed everything in their path. Carnage was the right word."

Rescue workers battled to free victims from the mangled wreckage and some were treated at the scene. Others were airlifted to hospitals in Birmingham and six were taken by ambulance to Leicester Royal Infirmary.

The crash happened at about 7.30am and more than 14 hours later the section of the motorway between junctions 19 and 21 was still closed.

An AA spokesman said: "It's a bleak scenario. It's effectively brought the region to a grinding halt."

Massive tailbacks stretched for miles in both directions and stretched as far as Northamptonshire.

The M1 is one of the main north-south arterial routes and the section involved is used by some 150,000 vehicles a day.

An Army spokesman confirmed the Scimitars were returning after seeing active service in the Gulf.

He said it was common practice to use civilian contractors when moving an entire regiment from one base to another.

The weight of the military vehicles meant that specialists had to be called in to lift them from the carriageway, and a major investigation has now been launched by the police.