A MAN died and motorists in Gwent faced hours of traffic chaos yesterday after a crash between a digger and a tanker.

The accident occurred a mile past the Raglan services on the northbound carriageway of the A40 at around 3.15pm - and left one of the region's major roads partially closed for several hours.

The identity of the dead man has not been released while formal identification takes place and his family is informed, but he is believed to be middle-aged and from Devon.

The tanker, which was carrying hazardous chemicals, collided with the digger before jackknifing across the road. The driver of the tanker suffered minor injuries.

Motorists heading northbound along the road faced long tailbacks as a recovery team from Walls Trucks.

Service worked to make the road safe and remove the vehicles, which both suffered extensive damage.

Gwent police accident investigators did not re-open the road until about 10pm while they examined the crash scene.

An appliance from Usk fire station also attended shortly after the accident, to wash fuel from the road side.

Inspector Steve Cor cor an of Gwent police appealed for witnesses to the accident.

He said: "There was a fatal accident involving a heavy goods vehicle and an agricultural vehicle, in which one person was killed at the scene.

"We would appeal to anyone who may have witnessed the incident - whether they were travelling on the north or south bound carriageway - to contact the traffic section on 01633 838111."