Marmite motorway madness causes jam

Love it or hate it, but there's a lot of Marmite on the M1 today. Photo / Supplied

A 20-tonne Marmite spill has blocked one of Britain's busiest motorways.

A large-scale clean-up operation is under way after a tanker carrying yeast extract - believed to be Marmite - overturned on the M1 near Sheffield, the BBC reported.

Police shut a section of the motorway in South Yorkshire about 10.15pm yesterday (11.15am NZT) and the road remained closed in both directions today.

A South Yorkshire police spokeswoman said the tanker overturned after being in a collision with a motorhome.

The tanker driver was taken to hospital with minor injuries.

"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,'' she told the BBC.