Three dead following A74(M) motorway crashes

Three men have died in two separate crashes in the space of less than 10 hours on the A74(M) motorway.

Craig McLaren, 22, from Eastriggs, was killed in the first accident at about 21:05 on Wednesday near Ecclefechan.

A 57-year-old van driver and his 17-year-old passenger died in a second crash at 06:15 near Kirkpatrick-Fleming.

The road was closed for several hours after both accidents but has since reopened.

Emergency services were called to the first accident involving a Ford Fiesta on the southbound carriageway on Wednesday night.

The driver Craig McLaren, who was a serving soldier, died and an 18-year-old male passenger was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow.

Two female passengers were taken to Dumfries Infirmary. All three passengers suffered serious but not life-threatening injuries.

The road was in the process of being reopened when the second crash took place at about 06:15.

It happened near Kirkpatrick-Fleming and involved a van and a lorry on the northbound carriageway.

The van driver and his passenger were killed. The lorry driver was unhurt.

There were significant tailbacks in the area for some time as the route was closed and accident investigations were carried out.

Traffic Scotland reported that the road had fully reopened by about 12:30.