"For those who want a little more info"
Two serious crashes have completely closed the southbound carriageway of the M6 in south Cumbria and Lancashire leading to major traffic disruption.
The motorway is shut between junction 36 at Kirkby Lonsdale and junction 34 at Lancaster following the collisions this morning.
Police say the motorway is likely to be closed for most of the day.
The first incident occurred at around 4am and led to 300 litres of diesel leaking onto the road surface at junction 34 when a lorry struck the central reservation, rupturing its fuel tank. The lorry has been removed from the scene but the road requires resurfacing due to the diesel leak.
The second collision happened just after 6am, close to junction 35 at Carnforth, and involved three lorries. This incident also led to a large diesel spillage and the road will need to be resurfaced once the police investigation has been completed.
As well as the southbound carriageway being completely shut, the northbound carriageway is down to just one lane.
Motorists are advised to leave the M6 at junction 40 and travel southbound via the A66 and A1.
A diversion has also been set where drivers are asked to leave the M6 at junction 36 and take the A65 and A683 before re-joining the M6 at junction 34.
“These two incidents have led to large amounts of diesel being spilled onto the southbound carriageway so we need to clean this up and resurface the road before we can safely reopen the motorway.
“We’re got a diversion in place between junctions 36 and 34, but there are currently long delays so we’re advising drivers to avoid the area if at all possible.”
– CHRIS CHADWICK, EMERGENCY PLANNING OFFICER AT HIGHWAYS ENGLAND
Posted: Mon Mar 07, 2016 8:25 am
) my good mate Terry has just posted some photo's of the accident and it shows clearly why the road is now closed for a while 