A NEWPORT man has been arrested and witnesses are being sought following two crashes within seconds of each other which closed the M4 Prince of Wales Bridge completely for several hours yesterday.

At around 4.20pm a white Ford Transit van collided with a Citroen C4 on the westbound carriageway and immediately afterwards, a second crash happened on the eastbound carriageway, involving a Peugeot Boxer van, a Renault Master van and a Skoda Fabia.

The Ford Transit van failed to stop at the scene, but has been found this morning in Newport.

A 44-year-old man from the city has been arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving, perverting the course of justice and drug driving. He is currently in police custody.

The driver of the Peugeot Boxer, a 50-year-old man from Bristol, was taken to Southmead Hospital in Bristol following the collision for medical treatment.

He is still in hospital this morning, and his injuries are not life threatening.

Both carriageways were closed until around 9.30pm last night as emergency services dealt with the aftermath of the crashes and investigations were completed.

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"Firstly, I would like to thank all road users who had their journey affected by yesterday's collision on the Prince of Wales Bridge, for their patience and co-operation while emergency services were in attendance carrying out essential duties at the scene," said senior investigating officer, PS Leighton Healan.

"Secondly, we are keen to speak to anyone who may have witnessed the manner of driving of the white Ford Transit van, registration number HW70NSF, in the lead up to the collision.

"If you saw anything that caused concern please get in touch."

Witnesses, or anyone with dashcam footage, is asked to telephone Gwent Police on 101, quoting reference number 2000393370. Alternatively, direct message the force on its on Facebook or Twitter pages.