Fatal M6 incidents cause extended UK closures, investigations ongoing

A person was hit by multiple vehicles on the M6 northbound between junctions 21 and 21A near Warrington in the early hours of Saturday, March 7, and was found dead at the scene, according to Cheshire Police. Police were called to the M6 incident near Warrington at around 2:50am, Cheshire Police said. The M6 northbound was closed from junction 21 to junction 21A for accident investigation work, traffic data company Inrix reported. Cheshire Police notified National Highways at 02:52am requesting assistance with road closures for an ongoing incident. National Highways stated that Cheshire Police are leading the response and are carrying out investigations on the M6 northbound between J21 and J21A near Warrington, requiring a full closure of the carriageway.

A second closure was in place on the M6 between junctions 28 and 30 in Lancashire, connected to the same crash, but has since lifted, according to multiple reports. Tebay services in Cumbria, 80 miles from the crash scene, has been cordoned off for forensic examination of a vehicle believed to have been involved, Cheshire Police confirmed. Closures are expected to remain in place throughout the night for the Cheshire Police incident, multiple reports indicate. A diversion route is provided for the M6 northbound closure, exiting at junction 21 and re-joining at junction 22, National Highways said.

In a separate incident, a man fell from a bridge onto the M6 at junction 27 at Charnock Richard at approximately 9:35pm on Friday, 3 April, and was struck by an HGV and a Vauxhall Adam, according to Lancashire Police. The man from the Charnock Richard incident was rushed to hospital and remained in a critical condition as of 4 April, multiple reports indicate. Both drivers in the Charnock Richard incident stopped at the scene, no arrests have been made, and they are being treated as witnesses, Lancashire Police said.

Lancashire Police has voluntarily referred itself to the Independent Office for Police Conduct due to prior contact with the man on the day of the Charnock Richard incident, the force confirmed. Officers shut the motorway in both directions after the Charnock Richard incident, according to multiple reports.

In Scotland, a 44-year-old man died in a crash involving a pedestrian on the M80 at Denny at about 12:20am on Thursday, Police Scotland reported. No other injuries were reported in the M80 incident, multiple sources said. The M80 was closed in both directions between junction 9 and junction 8 for over 15 hours, reopening northbound after 3:30pm and southbound after 4pm, according to multiple reports. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service was not called to the M80 crash, the service confirmed.

It is not known yet whether these incidents are linked, research from multiple sources indicates.

For the Cheshire incident, National Highways noted that its traffic officers have been establishing and maintaining the closure points throughout the night, and have also been managing the controlled turning of traffic caught within the closure. The agency added that as the morning period approaches, the closure remains in place with no expected end time currently available, advising extra journey time for impacted routes. Part of the M6 is set to remain closed for hours as police respond to an incident, research from multiple sources indicates.

In Norway, a woman died after falling from a bridge onto the E6 at Minnesund near Eidsvoll, according to Øst politidistrikt. The E6 towards Oslo is closed and will remain closed for a considerable time after the incident was reported at 23:15, the police district said. The woman may have been hit by several cars, according to oppdragsleder Ronny Mangseth.

Drivers have been caught in a huge queue on the M6 in Lancashire after a police operation, research from multiple sources indicates. Traffic has been stopped on the M6 northbound outside Preston after an incident, according to research. A stretch of the motorway is closed between junction 28 (Leyland) and junction 30 (Bamber Bridge), and it is unclear when it will reopen, research shows.

Another section of the M6, further south near Warrington, is also shut due to an 'ongoing police-led incident,' National Highways reported. This closure is in place northbound between junction 21 and junction 21A in Cheshire, research indicates. National Highways stated that due to the nature of the incident, there is currently no estimated reopening time.

The motorway has been shut in both directions either side of Wigan this morning (January 16), according to research. A closure is in place between junction 26, at the M58 Orrell Interchange, and junction 23, at the East Lancs Road near St Helens, research indicates. Downall Green Road, in Ashton-in-Makerfield, is also closed in both directions - with the closure understood to be linked to the same incident, research shows. Police were called to junction 27 at Standish, near Wigan, at 01:25 BST, according to research. All southbound lanes are closed between junctions 27 and 26 (Skelmersdale) while investigations continue, research indicates.