A truck driver charged over a crash on the M1 which left eight people dead appeared in court yesterday (August 28).

Ryszard Masierak was charged with eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving and four of causing serious injury by dangerous driving. He was remanded in custody after appearing in court.

The 31-year-old Polish national, who lives in Evesham, Worcestershire, is also charged with eight counts of causing death by careless driving while over the prescribed alcohol limit.

Two lorries and a minibus crashed near Newport Pagnell on Saturday, August 26.

A second lorry driver charged in connection with the crash will appear in court next month.

David Wagstaff, 53, of Derwent Street, Stoke-on-Trent, is accused of eight counts of causing death by dangerous driving and four counts of causing serious injury by dangerous driving, and is due to appear at Milton Keynes Magistrates' Court on September 11.

Masierak will next appear at Aylesbury Crown Court on September26.

The crash happened on the southbound carriageway of the M1 near junction 14 at Newport Pagnell in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Six men and two women died when the three vehicles collided. A five-year-old girl, a man and a woman were left with life-threatening injuries and remain in hospital. Another person was admitted to hospital with less severe injuries.