Travel chaos on Midland motorways live amid crashes on M6 and M42 as icy conditions grip region

There have been miles of tailbacks and long delays on both carriageways of the M6 in Staffordshire[1] and Cheshire and now on the M42 in Warwickshire. The first crash took place between Junction 15 for Stoke-on-Trent and Junction 14 for Stafford on the southbound carriageway shortly before midday on Monday (January 5). The crash is believed to have involved a lorry which has spilt oil on the carriageway.

The incident started just before midday, with one of two closed lanes reopened shortly before 3.30pm. A second crash then took place on the northbound stretch of the motorway between Junction 16 for Crewe and Junction 17 for Sandbach. That led to a lorry overturning and ending up on its side.

That crash site was cleared around 3.45pm - but hour-long delays remain as traffic clears. And the latest incident is a crash on the M42 southbound in Warwickshire between Junction 3a for the M40 and Junction 3 for Birmingham, Redditch and Evesham. Two of three lanes are closed with 45-minute delays and four miles of tailbacks.

This is a live breaking story with updates to follow below...

References

1. ^ Staffordshire (www.birminghammail.co.uk)
2. ^ Birmingham snow disruption live as schools shut and thousands return to work (www.birminghammail.co.uk)