A cleanup operation is under way after a tanker carrying more than 20 tonnes of yeast extract – believed to be Marmite – overturned on a busy motorway.

Police shut a section of the M1 in South Yorkshire at about 10.15pm on Monday following the incident, in which the vehicle crashed and spilled its contents onto the carriageway.

The road remains closed in both directions between junction 32 and 33 near Sheffield and is expected to cause delays for rush-hour commuters.

A spokeswoman for South Yorkshire police said the tanker overturned after being involved in a collision with a caravan. The tanker driver was taken to hospital but the injuries are not believed to be serious, she added.

"We were called at 10.15pm yesterday to reports of a tanker, which was carrying 23.5 tonnes of waste yeast, overturning," the spokeswoman said.

"Some of the contents were spilled on the northbound carriageway and we are in the process of emptying the remaining contents of the tanker and clearing up the spillage before it can be moved and the road reopened."

The Highways Agency said it expected the road to be reopened at around 8am.