More than 10,000 trucks mainly carrying coal are stuck in a 120 km (75 mile) traffic jam in the north Chinese region of Inner Mongolia, in the latest dramatic snarl-up on the country's roads.

China's Central Television (CCTV) said the highway heading towards Beijing and the neighbouring province of Hebei was now more like a car park. The jam started forming on Tuesday after traffic restrictions began being enforced in Hebei, it added.

Most of the vehicles were coal trucks, the report said, which were also blocking feeder roads leading onto the highway. But the road further into Hebei had already begun freeing up, offering hope to the drivers stuck in Inner Mongolia, it added.

Just over a week ago the Chinese traffic authority finally cleared a previous 100-km jam that had lasted nine days.

Many local merchants capitalized on the stranded drivers' predicament by offering food and drink at inflated prices.

According to Zhao Jie, deputy director of the Urban Transport Institute under the China Academy of Urban Planning and Design, the nation's highways have to cope with fast and heavy traffic and increasing population demands.

He said the coming five to 10 years will be crucial in developing the capital's public transportation system.