Delays over an HOUR as M6 closed by overturned lorry
Police say the driver suffered slight injuries
Last updated 15th Apr 2022
There are delays of more than an hour on the M6, as emergency services work to recover an overturned lorry.
The southbound carriageway is closed between junction 23, for St Helens, and junction 26, the Orrell Interchange.
A statement on the National Highways website adds: 'emergency services have been in attendance, and specialist recovery is now on scene to recover the vehicle. This is likely to take some time due to the location the vehicle has come to rest.
'Initially the road was closed between J24 and J23 however significant delays were caused by the closure between J26 and J24. As a result the closure has been extended between J26 and J23 to prevent delays increasing further. This closure is also closing the southbound entry to the M6 at J25.'
A diversion is in place, with details also on their website.
It's as millions of drivers are expected on the UK's roads today, in what is predicted to be the busiest travel day of the Easter weekend.
An estimated 4.62 million journeys are likely to be made across the UK, with a further 22.48 million across the bank holiday weekend in what could be the busiest in years, according to the RAC.
More delays are predicted following travel chaos on Thursday - as well as passengers at airports and train stations left waiting for hours in long queues.
Many reported hour-long waits at Manchester and Birmingham airports, while dozens of British Airways and easyJet flights were cancelled at Heathrow.
Meanwhile, those at London St Pancras said they were standing in long queues for services to Europe on Thursday morning.
Rail passengers have also been warned of further delays as Network Rail carries out 530 engineering projects costing a total of £83 million over the weekend.
These include the closure of the West Coast Main Line between London Euston and Milton Keynes for four days from Good Friday due to upgrades of the existing line and HS2 work.
Parts of the railway between Birmingham International station and Coventry will also be closed, as will lines around Crewe station.
Dover-Calais sailings by P&O Ferries were also still suspended as of Thursday night, which caused large queues of lorries forming on roads approaching the Port of Dover throughout the day.
On top of all the travel disruption, supplies of petrol and diesel at filling stations in some areas of the country have been at around half their usual level as the UK's travel network comes under pressure.