Drivers have been caught in a huge queue on the M6 in Lancashire after traffic was stopped on the northbound carriageway outside Preston due to an incident. A stretch of the M6 is closed between junctions 28 at Leyland and 30 at Bamber Bridge, with motorists told to expect significant delays. Another section of the M6, further south near Warrington, is also shut due to an ongoing police-led incident, compounding disruptions along the key route. According to National Highways, there is currently no estimated reopening time for the M6 closure between junctions 28 and 30 near Preston due to the nature of the incident. It is not known yet whether the M6 incidents near Preston and Warrington are linked. The specific nature of the incident causing the closure near Preston has not been disclosed by authorities.
Cheshire Police are leading the response and are carrying out investigations on the M6 northbound between junctions 21 and 21A near Warrington, requiring a full closure of the carriageway. Cheshire Police notified National Highways at 02:52am requesting assistance with implementing full closures to create a safe working environment at the scene on the M6 near Warrington. The specific nature of the police-led incident near Warrington has not been revealed, and it remains unclear when this closure will reopen.
National Highways traffic officers have been establishing and maintaining the closure points throughout the night on the M6 near Warrington, and have also been managing the controlled turning of traffic caught within the closure. As the morning period approaches, the M6 closure near Warrington remains in place with no expected end time currently available. The agency has been actively managing traffic control measures to handle the ongoing situation.
If the M6 closure near Warrington impacts your planned route, please allow extra journey time. This travel advice comes as both closures continue to disrupt motorists along the busy motorway.
In a separate development, drivers planning to use the M5 today have been spared from major disruptions after authorities agreed to postpone the transport of abnormal loads through Gloucestershire. A multi-agency meeting on Thursday decided that the movement of heavy cargo originally scheduled for today and subsequent days should be pushed back until after the Easter holiday period. The specific authorities involved in this multi-agency meeting have not been detailed.