The road to nowhere: Chaos for thousands of commuters as M4 is closed for SEVENTEEN HOURS after 44-tonne lorry overturns - and even speed king Sir Bradley Wiggins is stuck in the slow lane

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A lorry has overturned on the M4 motorway between Maidenhead and Reading forcing authorities to close the road until 6am tomorrow. 

The incident happened shortly before 1pm on the westbound carriageway between Maidenhead and Wokingham.  

The truck careered onto its side after slamming into the central reservation as well as taking out a light pole. 

Engineers had hoped the road could have been reopened by midnight, but this was not possible due to the extent of the damage.  

The lorry carrying recycling material careered out of control while heading west along the M4 this lunchtime crashing into the central reservation and destroying a light pole 

One twitter user spotted Sir Bradley Wiggins' Team Sky car amid today's traffic chaos

The truck destroyed 300 metres of the central reservation as it skidded to a halt earlier today

Highways England warned the M4 will be closed between Junctions 8 and 10 until at least 6am

After the truck crashed, hundreds of litres of diesel spilled onto the carriage way destroying the road surface. 

Highways England confirmed a section of the carriageway will have to be resurfaced once the truck and all the load of biomass is removed. 

The truck's cargo is used as fuel in power stations.  

Police closed the motorway for several hours while they investigated the cause of the crash. One lane eastbound nearest the central reservation remains closed. 

The westbound carriageway will remain closed until at least 6am while workers clear away the debris, repair the carriageway and the central reservation barrier.

A team is working through the night in an effort to reopen the road in time for tomorrow morning's rush hour.  

Major delays were reported heading west out of London this evening, with traffic diverted through Reading and Maidenhead on its way west. 

The westbound carriageway is currently closed between Junction 8 and Junction 10. 

According to Get Reading, the air ambulance transported the male driver of the truck to hospital. It is understood he has suffered serious head injuries.

Motorists faced long delays after authorities were forced to close the motorway 

Even members of Sir Bradley Wiggins' team were stuck in this afternoon's chaos

Robert Edwards said he was stuck on the M4 following today's incident. 

'My company had arranged two days software training for me in Bristol starting on Tuesday at 10am so I left my house in Tunbridge Wells at 5:30am so I could arrive on time and have breakfast. 

'However due to an accident on the east bound M4 and accident investigation blocking both carriage ways I was stationary for three hours and arrived late. 

'Then today after finishing training and feeling exhausted I left Bristol to go home to Tunbridge Wells at 2:30pm and have just arrived home now 8pm.

'Incredible how they take so long to do accident investigations on such busy motorways.'

A recovery truck arrived in place earlier this evening to pull the stricken truck back upright before towing it off the motorway to a yard where it can be examined by crash experts 

Teams of workers used angle grinders to cut away the destroyed sections of crash barrier 

Laura Ward's husband Ian was also severely inconvenienced today. 

She said: 'Ian was stuck approximately a mile behind the lorry at 1pm.

'They were on for an early day travelling back from Slough to Bracknell but decided not to come off at maidenhead and carry on to the A329. 

'That was a big mistake! 

'What should have been a 10 minute  journey and home by 1.15 turned into a nightmare. He was stuck for three-and-a-half hours when eventually allowed to pass the lorry. He rolled in very frustrated at 4.30pm.'  

The truck was carrying a load of garden waste out of London when it crashed earlier today

Traffic delays were reported in Maidenhead, Slough and Reading as drivers tried to get home

One motorists complained he was significantly delayed as a result of today's road chaos 

Significant delays were also reported on the M40 as motorists attempted to avoid the accident site. 

However, an accident between Junction 2 and 3 near High Wycombe created further delays on those heading west.  

One motorist complained it took him one hour and 23 minutes to travel 18 miles. 

Another said it took him seven hours to get to Gatwick Airport.  

Many motorists took to Twitter after arriving home to share details of their epic journeys 

One motorist was forced to re-route to the M3 to get to Gatwick - taking seven hours 

According to Highways England: 'One lane remains closed on the eastbound carriageway but additional lane closures may be required later to repair the barrier. 

'A clearly signed diversion is in place following the hollow square symbol via the A329(M), A4, A3290 and A404(M). 

'Highways England is working hard with the emergency services to reopen the road as soon as it is safe to do so. 

'Once Thames Valley Police has completed an investigation, extensive repairs will need to be carried out to the road before it can be safely reopened. 

'Initial inspections have identified that 300 metres of the central reservation and a light column has been damaged with possible damage to the road surface. 

'Drivers are advised to plan their journeys and to allow extra time as the closures are likely to continue through the evening peak period.'

Thames Valley Police are investigating the cause of today's accident 

It is the second time in two days that the M4 around Reading has been closed 

It is the second time in 24 hours the M4 has been closed in the Reading area following a collision involving a HGV. 

In the early hours of Tuesday morning a HGV turned over as it tried to swerve to avoid an elderly woman walking along the carriageway between junctions 11 and 10. 

According to Thames Valley Police: 'Sadly, the pedestrian died at the scene. The lorry driver is uninjured but is believed to have suffered from shock.

Inspector Andy Storey said: 'We would appeal to anyone who was driving on either the east or westbound carriageways of the M4 near Junction 11 at around 2.50am to contact police as we are trying to determine the circumstances which led to a pedestrian being on the motorway.

'In addition there are ongoing enquiries to identify the pedestrian at this time.'

The road was closed for several hours while emergency services and the highways authority dealt with the incident.