Motorists heading off for Easter breaks faced chaos on Friday as a serious collision on the M6 toll northbound carriageway in the West Midlands forced its closure. Emergency services, including West Midlands Police, Ambulance Service, and Fire & Rescue, attended the scene. National Highways confirmed the road remained closed for repairs and investigations, with no official diversion routes in place. Drivers were advised to use the M6 as an alternative.
Separately, severe delays of up to 90 minutes were reported on the M20 eastbound in Kent between J11 near Hythe and J11A for the Eurotunnel. National Highways attributed the congestion to increased Easter getaway traffic as travellers headed for trains and ferries. The J11 eastbound entry slip road was closed to assist with traffic management, and Kent Police were on site.
On the M6 near Preston, a recovery operation following a collision caused residual delays of 65 minutes and 10 miles of congestion northbound between J32 and J33. One lane remained closed initially, but all lanes later reopened. Delays also persisted on the M61 northbound.
The A30 westbound between the A303 and A35 junctions also experienced severe congestion, though no incidents were reported. National Highways urged drivers to plan ahead as Storm Dave was forecast to bring gusts of up to 90mph over the Easter weekend.
Abta estimated that two million Britons would travel abroad between Good Friday and Easter Monday, while the RAC predicted the busiest Easter on the roads since 2022.
