Thousands of drivers came to a standstill early today after a two-lorry crash closed a busy motorway.
Rush-hour motorists were caught in queues which at one stage stretched from Raith to Larkhall - a distance of around five miles.
Firefighters used hydraulic cutting gear to rescue one man, whose legs were trapped in the vehicle after the collision.
The crash, which involved two HGVs, happened shortly after 5am on the northbound carriageway of the M74 and forced the closure of the route at peak time.
Police closed the motorway from Junction 5 Raith, with drivers being diverted along side routes, which caused knock-on congestion in the surrounding area.
Drivers faced delays of almost two hours after the incident.
Emergency services, including fire crews and an ambulance, raced to the scene in South Lanarkshire after the alarm was raised at 5.10am.
Watch Manager Graham Hunter, the incident commander, said: "The collision involved two HGVs and left one man trapped by the legs.
"Firefighters immediately began work to free the casualty - this involved using hydraulic cutting equipment to extricate him and setting up a platform so he could then be removed on a rescue board.
"Our police colleagues closed the motorway to ensure the safety of everyone at the scene and paramedics were attending to the casualty while we worked to release him."
The man was taken to Monklands Hospital.
A Police Scotland spokeswoman said: "Emergency services were called to a report of a collision involving two lorries on the M74 near Junction 5.
"The road was closed and re-opened at around 8.30am after the vehicles were removed."
Recovery vehicles helped remove damaged lorries and investigations were being carried out to find out exactly what happened.
A broken down van also added to to congestion on the M8 westbound at Junction 27 today.
It had been removed by around 9am and traffic began moving again.
Meanwhile, a man and woman, who were riding a motorbike, were rushed to hospital after a crash near Stirling.
It happened at around 6.15pm on the A907, between the Manor Powis roundabout and Manor Loan in Stirlingshire.
The 61-year-old male motorcyclist and his 58-year-old female pillion passenger suffered serious injuries when their bike collided with a Vauxhall Insignia car.
Both riders were taken to Forth Valley Royal Hospital for treatment.
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