The AA have raised "serious concerns" about the safety of smart motorways after a second person died on the same stretch of the M1 in a matter of months.

The new motorways feature stretches of road where there is no hard shoulder, also known as an all lane running system.

As a consequence broken down cars may be forced to stop in a lane which has 'live traffic' still operating. Last Friday Derek Jacobs was killed on the motorway's northbound carriageway in Derbyshire after his van stopped in the first lane.

Police said the 83-year-old's white Volkswagen Crafter may have come to a halt because of a mechanical fault before it was hit by a red Ford Ka, which was then struck by a coach.

The tragedy comes after a 62 year-old woman, who was a passenger in a grey Nissan Qashqai which broke down on the M1, one mile north of Woodall Services, was killed last year.

The stricken vehicle sat on the unlit section of the M1 for 16 minutes before a black Mercedes E-class hit the car which then struck the victim as she stood on the grass verge.

Now the AA as said there are major safety issues, especially in relation to the response times of emergency services take to get to stranded vehicles and the lack of safety refuges on the stretch.