M60, M4 and M65 closures disrupt morning traffic in North and Wales

Commuters faced widespread disruption across northern and western England and south Wales on Thursday morning after separate serious collisions closed stretches of the M60 in Greater Manchester and the M4 in South Wales, and a further crash partly blocked the M65 in Lancashire. Emergency services closed carriageways and diverted traffic, leaving long queues and significant delays during the morning rush.

On the M60, traffic was being held on the clockwise carriageway between junctions 8 at Carrington and 9 at Urmston after what was described by national highway officials as a serious collision. Footage and traffic cameras showed long lines of stationary vehicles, and a traffic-monitoring service said all traffic was temporarily stopped at about 06:10. National Highways said the closure extends clockwise from junction 6 at Sale to junction 9 at Trafford Park and warned drivers that delays of up to 50 minutes were possible for those passing between junctions 6 and 9, with congestion reported back to junction 3. National Highways advised motorists who had already been caught in the closure that traffic was being turned via the rear of the queue and urged drivers to follow local...