Drivers urged to avoid northbound M6 in south Cheshire after serious incident closes motorway

Drivers travelling along the northbound M6 from Staffordshire into Cheshire are being urged to avoid the motorway following a serious collision earlier today (Friday 26 June) between several lorries outside Sandbach services, north of junction 16 of the motorway for Crewe

 The accident, involving five HGVs, happened shortly after 11am just ahead of the slip road onto the motorway from the service area.   Cheshire Police has now launched an accident investigation into the incident and the northbound carriageway is likely to be closed for several more hours while the investigation takes place and then the vehicles are removed from the carriageway and any repairs and cleaning are undertaken.

 The northbound carriageway is closed from junction 16.  From here drivers are being advised to follow a diversion marked by the ‘solid black triangle’ symbol – taking them from junction 16 onto the westbound A500 towards Crewe, northbound A5020 and the eastbound A534 back onto the motorway at junction 17 for Sandbach.  

 However, drivers are advised to avoid this section of the motorway if possible as the diversion route and local roads are already very busy.  Highways England is urging drivers to delay their journeys or seek an alternative route.   Queues on the northbound M6 are almost back to Keele services north of junction 15 of the motorway.   Drivers using the southbound M6 are also being advised of queues and stop start conditions back to junction 20 of the M6 at Lymm Interchange with the M56.   

 Highways England traffic officers from the outstation at Knutsford are on the scene helping to manage traffic and, alongside the emergency services, are working to free traffic stuck behind the incident between junction 16 and Sandbach services.

 Highways England traffic officers at the North West regional control centre at Newton-le-Willows and colleagues at the National Traffic Operations Centre near Birmingham have set overhead message signs across the local, regional and wider motorway network to advise drivers of the closure.

 Drivers are being urged to check travel conditions before setting out on journeys at www.highways.gov.uk/traffic, by ringing Highways England’s customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000 or on Twitter at @HighwaysNWEST or @Highways_WMIDS.