Drivers to be prosecuted after ignoring full M61 closure for serious incident

Drivers to be prosecuted after ignoring full M61 closure for serious incident - Blog Preston Skip to content [1]Blog Preston [2]Menu Sign in Support us [3][4]

Prosecution letters in the post for those who ignored motorway closure. Posted on 28th February 2026 - 7:18am

Delays on the M61 near Junction 8 on Wednesday Pic: Chris Marshall/Preston Traffic and Travel

Delays on the M61 near Junction 8 Pic: Chris Marshall/Preston Traffic and Travel

Luke Beardsworth Co-editor [5] A number of drivers can expect to be prosecuted after ignoring a motorway closure where a person's life was in danger.

Emergency services were called to the M61 at junction 8 to a concern for safety incident at around 8.25pm on Wednesday [6] (25 February). The motorway was closed in both directions for a brief period of time while police dealt with the incident and red Xs were used to signpost to drivers that this was the case.

The incident was confirmed as resolved safely before 9pm, but a number of drivers ignored the closure and continued with their journey.

Police have now indicated that those drivers will be prosecuted. A spokesperson for police said: "On 25/2/26 at approximately 2025hrs Officers were dealing with a serious incident on the M61 requiring a full motorway closure in both directions. "However, some drivers thought the block didn't apply to them and breached it.

Prosecution paperwork is in the post." Support Blog Preston: Keep our community reporting going and view the website without any adverts too. Sign up for a membership today [8]. Stay updated: Keep in touch directly with the latest headlines from Blog Preston, join our WhatsApp channel [9] and subscribe for our twice-a-week email newsletter [10].

Both free and direct to your phone and inbox. Help us report too, by contacting us [11] if you see something we should be reporting on. Share: WhatsApp Email Copy Link Facebook X LinkedIn [13][14][15][16][17]