Two adults and a teenager die after crash on M5 motorway
Two adults in their 40s and a teenager have died following a single-vehicle collision on the M5 motorway in south Gloucestershire.
Police said a child suffered serious injuries and has been taken to hospital after the white BMW car left the northbound carriageway at about 9pm on Friday.
The crash took place between junction 14 and the Michaelwood services.
The M5 remained closed in both directions between junctions 13 and 14 on Saturday.
Inspector Mark Vicary, of Avon and Somerset Police's roads policing unit, said: "Our thoughts first and foremost are with the child in hospital and loved ones who have received the most awful news overnight.
"A specially-trained officer will provide them with support at this difficult time."
Inspector Vicary continued: "Emergency services have worked throughout the night at what has proved to be a very complex scene.
"They have worked diligently and professionally to try to save life in the most tragic of circumstances."
Read more from Sky News:
He added: "We appreciate this closure is causing delays and disruption to the public, particularly at the end of the half-term break.
"But given the severity of this distressing incident, we hope the public can understand the reasons why this is necessary and ask them to consider alternative travel plans."
Witnesses and anyone with dashcam footage are asked to contact police.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


New York Times
an hour ago
- New York Times
Sir Dave Brailsford was an architect of Man Utd's ‘disaster' season but his legacy is still salvageable
Fifteenth in the final league table. Their joint-fewest points since the club's most recent relegation more than a half-century ago. No European football next season for the first time in more than a decade. A 'disaster' of a campaign, all in all, as the team's head coach himself freely admits. But there will at least be a fancy new hydration point in the revamped canteen at the training ground next season. Advertisement Marginal gains, indeed. Sir Dave Brailsford is stepping back from his role at Manchester United following yet another reshuffle of Old Trafford's leadership team under co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe. And perhaps it should be no surprise that the high priest of high performance in UK sport will be taking on diminished responsibilities following the club's lowest top-flight finish since they ended up second-bottom in 1974. Yet Brailsford's withdrawal from United duties is being described as a natural evolution by sources within Ratcliffe's INEOS empire, who asked to remain anonymous to protect their positions. They portray it as his work embedding a new management structure at United over the past 18 months now being complete. The 61-year-old will return to his wider portfolio at INEOS Sport, including his true passion of cycling, increasing his level of support to the latter's INEOS Grenadiers team. He will still be involved in United's affairs and keeps his seat on the club's board of directors. Brailsford had been less of a presence around United's Carrington training complex of late in any case, although that was at least partly because he suffered a broken leg on a skiing holiday earlier this year and has spent time recovering at his home in Monaco. But even before that unfortunate accident, there had been scepticism among figures who know Brailsford over whether his day-to-day involvement with United would last beyond the end of the season. Initial impressions of Brailsford among club staff were positive. He did most of the talking when he and Ratcliffe addressed employees for the first time in January last year, speaking frankly about the club's underperformance and future challenges. One of Brailsford's first presentations to the players left such an impression on forward Marcus Rashford that — days after missing training following a night out in Belfast — he requested a one-on-one meeting. Brailsford then had further individual chats with every squad member. Advertisement Yet amid a whirlwind start, which involved shaking as many hands around Carrington as possible in the days following the agreement of Ratcliffe's share purchase, some were left with the impression he was attempting too much, too soon and spreading himself too thinly as a result. Other interactions with United personnel were less impressive than that first meeting — one reference to sacrificing lavish Monaco for rainy Manchester went down poorly — or betrayed the sense that, by Brailsford's own admission, when he watches football, he is 'watching in black and white'. Clearly, his established reputation for delivering best-in-class, elite processes has not been immediately reflected in the team's results. And even away from the pitch, focusing purely on decisions taken by United's sporting leadership, there are already several blots on INEOS's copybook. Brailsford was part of the botched process which led to manager Erik ten Hag having his job security undermined, his contract extended and his employment ultimately terminated all in the space of five months, although he was far from the defining voice in that debate. He was more influential in the decision to target, pursue and eventually appoint Dan Ashworth as sporting director, having collaborated with him during the latter's time at the Football Association. Ashworth's swift demise — again, after just five months — might have damaged Brailsford's standing but if anything it increased his level of responsibility, creating a vacancy within United's hierarchy that he, chief executive Omar Berrada and technical director Jason Wilcox, two more INEOS choices, needed to fill. Even then, not all of Brailsford's instincts and ideas were acted upon. He had reservations over United's habit of touring far-flung destinations in pre-season and prioritised player recovery over the commercial benefits of packed schedules. The fact head coach Ruben Amorim and his players have just got back from Malaysia and Hong Kong after United's first post-season tour in 39 years, ahead of spending a chunk of pre-season in the United States, shows where priorities ultimately lie. Advertisement There was also the mixed response to his launch of 'Mission 21' and 'Mission 1', initiatives to win United's 21st and first Premier League and Women's Super League titles respectively, ideally dovetailing with 'Project 150', the club's 150th anniversary in 2028. While some at Carrington note the arbitrariness of those targets, or understandably scoff at suggestions to print T-shirts and banners bearing those slogans, part of their purpose was to shake the club from a stupor, having not won the Premier League since 2013. Brailsford noted an inertia about United during his first few months in Manchester, a lack of purpose and motivation. It is not an uncommon complaint — something even Amorim has echoed when he said United as a club were in need of a 'shock' while nosediving towards the relegation zone in December — and, ultimately, one that Brailsford's blue-sky thinking has not fully resolved. But ask Ratcliffe and he would chiefly describe Brailsford's purpose at United as improving elite performance — best illustrated by the £50million redevelopment of the men's training building at Carrington, announced last summer, which is scheduled to open in time for the players' return in early August from that trip to the States. Easy quips about hydration stations aside, Brailsford's impact on United is only likely to be felt on this wider, overarching scale and over the longer term. One of his priorities in the early days under Ratcliffe was to make key, high-ranking appointments quickly, to create a sense of momentum. But as he now retreats into the shadows, his chief legacy may be in how the executive team he helped put in place now fare. Ashworth's appointment was clearly a mistake, wherever the blame for it may lie. Berrada led on the identification and securing of Amorim as Ten Hag's November successor, but the jury is most definitely out on whether he will be a success. And to coincide with Brailsford stepping back, Wilcox takes on the title of director of football — a position he last held for little more than a year at Southampton, largely while they were in the second-tier Championship. Advertisement Wilcox has fulfilled many of the duties typical of the role while serving as technical director, and is highly regarded after his six years as youth academy director at Manchester City, but this summer will be his greatest test yet. There can be no doubt that he and Berrada are the key figures in United's football operations now, a structure Brailsford helped build. And from now on, the gains need to be more than marginal.

Associated Press
an hour ago
- Associated Press
England fast bowler Brydon Carse considered getting toe amputated
LONDON (AP) — England fast bowler Brydon Carse said he considered getting a toe amputated after encountering longstanding problems because of his bowling action. The damage to his second toe on his left foot became so bad over the winter when playing for England that Carse was forced to pull out midway through its Champions Trophy campaign in Pakistan and withdraw from a lucrative deal in the Indian Premier League. The 29-year-old Carse explored every option to deal with the issue, including a drastic remedy. 'It ended up being quite a severe wound I was playing with for the majority of the winter. It got infected a couple of times,' said Carse, speaking on Thursday ahead of England's first Twenty20 against the West Indies on Friday. 'It is a bit of a running joke in the changing room, my second toe. So we came up with the thought, 'Can we just get rid of the second toe?' 'Everyone has had their opinion on my second toe. At one stage I was going to bed thinking, 'I could actually do this, I think I could get rid of my second toe.' But then the medical staff said you need it for balance so that was quickly ruled out.' England test captain Ben Stokes' late father, Ged, famously took a similar course of action in his rugby league days, removing his middle finger at the knuckle to speed up his return to action. Carse has just returned to action and was picked on Thursday in England's 14-man squad for the five-match test series against India. ___ AP cricket:


Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
MHRA Urges Contraception With GLP-1 Weight-Loss Drugs
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) has reiterated that women using weight-loss drugs must use effective contraception, as the risks of these drugs to a foetus remain unclear. The warning follows concerns that some users in the UK may not be taking glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists (GLP-1s) safely. To date, the MHRA has received more than 40 reports relating to pregnancies in women taking these medications. 'These medicines must not be taken during pregnancy, while trying to get pregnant, or during breastfeeding,' the MHRA stated. Women who become pregnant while using these drugs should stop treatment immediately and consult a healthcare professional. There is not enough safety data to determine if the drugs could harm a developing baby, the agency said. Avoid Unregulated Sellers, MHRA Warns The MHRA also warned against buying these drugs from unregulated sources such as beauty salons or via social media. 'Not only does this expose people wanting to lose weight to serious health risks, it is also against the law to sell these medicines in this way,' said Dr Alison Cave, the MHRA's chief safety officer. The agency emphasised that weight-loss drugs should not be taken without first consulting a healthcare professional. 'The only way to guarantee receiving a genuine GLP-1 medicine is to obtain it from a legitimate pharmacy,' Cave said. Pharmacies Seeing High Demand 'Community pharmacies have been experiencing unprecedented levels of interest for weight loss injections,' said Jasmine Shah, medication safety officer at the National Pharmacy Association. 'It is therefore important that regulations and guidance keep pace with this demand.' Mounjaro May Lower Effectiveness of Oral Contraceptives The MHRA noted that Mounjaro (tirzepatide) may reduce the effectiveness of oral contraceptives in people with overweight or obesity. Women taking Mounjaro should use a non-oral contraceptive method for 4 weeks after starting the drug and for 4 weeks after any dose increase. This advice applies only to Mounjaro users. Patients are also advised to be alert for signs of acute pancreatitis. Risks in Pregnancy Remain Unclear 'There is hardly any available data from human studies to be able to advise if these weight loss drugs are safe in pregnancy,' said Rebecca Reynolds, professor of metabolic medicine at the University of Edinburgh. 'The data from animal studies suggests the potential for harm with low birthweight and skeletal abnormalities, though more evidence is needed to assess if there are risks of taking these drugs in humans,' she told the Science Media Centre (SMC). Dr Bassel Wattar, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist at Epsom and St Helier University Hospitals, supported the MHRA's warning. 'There is some data from animal studies suggesting there is a risk of malformation to the foetus — in animals falling pregnant while taking GLP-1 agonists — but data remains limited in humans,' he said. However, Dr Caroline Ovadia, senior clinical lecturer in obstetrics at the University of Edinburgh, noted to the SMC that existing human cohort studies had not shown clear evidence of harm. Online Buyers May Miss Safety Guidance Although direct evidence linking GLP-1 drugs to contraceptive failure is limited, the high number of users means even a small risk could have public health implications, experts warned. Professor Ying Cheong, consultant in reproductive medicine at the University of Southampton, speaking to the SMC, said that gastrointestinal side effects, such as vomiting and diarrhoea, could impair oral contraceptive absorption, increasing the risk of unintended pregnancy. 'Many people are buying weight loss drugs online and so may not receive this important advice about contraception,' Reynolds pointed out. 'These are not harmless lifestyle drugs,' stressed Cheong. 'The public urgently needs to understand that these medications require proper medical supervision to avoid unintended harm, particularly to reproductive health.'