The police's armed response unit has "humanely dispatched" an injured deer that was discovered on the A1(M) this morning.

At around 7.35am, police were called to reports of an animal in the road on the A1(M) (northbound), near to Junction 8 for Stevenage.

A spokesperson for Herts police said: "It was reported that a deer was lying injured in the central reservation, close to the fourth lane.

"Officers attended from the Bedfordshire Armed Response Unit and the deer was humanely dispatched.

"There were closures put in place in both directions while officers attended, and the carriageways have now been reopened."

Despite traffic being released, National Highways East warned motorists to expect delays of up to 40 minutes in the area.