A man has been charged with the attempted murder of his wife after a van he was driving left the M55 at high speed on Monday.

Michael Cooper, 57, of Glastonbury Avenue, Blackpool, is due to appear before Blackpool Magistrates this morning.

At 3.10pm on Monday a Ford Transit driven by Cooper, left the east bound carriageway of the M55 just before junction three, near Wesham, crashing through a wooden fence and coming to rest on a grass bank.

The incident caused severe tailbacks on the motorway, which was busier than normal because of the fine weather and the Bank Holiday.

The front seat passenger, his wife Karen, was airlifted to the Royal Preston Hospital where her condition is described as critical but stable.