The UK government is to announce that trials of autonomous lorries will take place on the M6 later this year.

Chancellor George Osborne will confirm funding for the project this week and a stretch of the M6 near Carlisle is likely to be the test area. In particular the trials will vehicle in a tightly-packed convoy, which is said to improve fuel consumption by reducing drag.

Steering, acceleration and braking of the road train will be controlled by a driver in the lead vehicle, but each autonomous lorry will have a driver onboard for emergencies.