A VAN driver died when a lorry smashed through a motorway's central reservation and hit oncoming traffic.

William Colloff, 39, from Todmorden, was thrown from his van when the HGV collided with it on the M61 near Farnworth.

Mr Colloff, of Wharf Street, died at the scene.

Police have made an appeal for witnesses as they try and establish the cause of the horror smash.

The lorry was travelling on the southbound carriageway when it jack-knifed and collided with four vehicles on Monday evening.

The 54-year-old driver of a Vauxhall Vectra suffered serious injuries.

Police said the was man, who has not been named, was in a "a serious, but stable condition" at the Royal Bolton Hospital.

Two other vehicles, a Ford Transit van and a Volkswagen Bora, were also hit by the lorry and the drivers were taken to hospital to be treated for shock and minor injuries.

Fire crews said the lorry came to a halt on its side, covering almost all three lanes of the road.

The M61 runs from Preston to Manchester's M60 ring-road.

The motorway was closed in both directions following the crash while accident investigators visited the scene. It reopened on Tuesday after the road was cleared.

A spokesman for Greater Manchester Police said an investigation into the accident has begun.

She said: "Inquiries into the cause of this collision are ongoing and police are asking anyone who saw the incident to contact officers at the Motorway Unit on 0161 856 8361."