Lancashire Police have condemned motorists who drove the wrong way on the M6 motorway following a collision, describing their behaviour as "absolutely unacceptable."
Drivers were caught reversing their vehicles and travelling the wrong way up an exit ramp on Sunday afternoon (August 23), during a collision on the M6 northbound carriageway near junction 34. Although nobody was hurt, officers stressed that the situation "could have easily been so different."
Police identify vehicles and vow action
Lancashire Police have identified a number of the vehicles involved and vowed to take "appropriate action" against those behind the wheel. Officers are now appealing to anyone who captured footage on a dash cam or mobile phone of other drivers travelling in the wrong direction to come forward.
They cautioned that such reckless behaviour "can have utterly devastating consequences," pointing to two fatal wrong-way collisions near Middlesbrough and in Ireland as stark examples.
Fatal wrong-way crashes cited as warnings
Two police officers and five other individuals lost their lives in a crash in Teeside in the early hours of Saturday, after a Volkswagen Passat - which had been pursued by police - was driven the wrong way along a dual carriageway, reports the Daily Star. The vehicle then collided with a marked police armed response vehicle.
PC Matthew Blades, 37, and PC Tom Clough, 38, were among those tragically killed. Cole Robert Worthy, 17, Theo Rae, 17, Makai Saddington, 18, and 23-year-olds Michael Robert Cahill and Jacob Matusiak were also declared dead at the scene. In the wake of the incident, TikTok footage has emerged showing one of the deceased men recording himself driving dangerously in the months prior to the deadly smash.
This heartbreaking event came hot on the heels of a separate crash in which five teenagers were killed on the M9 in Co Kildare after their BMW careered into oncoming traffic while attempting to flee from police. Three women and a seven year old boy travelling in the other vehicle involved in the head-on collision sustained serious injuries and were taken to hospital.
Full statement from Lancashire Police
The full statement released by Lancashire Police concerning the M6 incident, published on Monday afternoon, read: "We need to tell you about something that happened on the motorway this weekend, that is absolutely unacceptable.
"Shortly before 1:45pm yesterday, we received a report of a collision on the M6 northbound near to junction 34, and as a result, there were people turning around and driving the wrong way back up the slip road to avoid joining the motorway.
"Thankfully nobody was seriously hurt, either in the collision or due to this incident, but as we have seen in other parts of the country this weekend, these actions can have utterly devastating consequences. We have identified a number of those vehicles and drivers involved in the incident and will take the appropriate action against them.
"We know that there will have been a lot of people on the motorway or making their way the correct direction down the slip road at that time, who will have been lawfully going about their journeys. We need to ask for your help. If you have dashcam that covers the junction 34 slip road, and shows any of these drivers, or took mobile phone footage, it is really important that you get in touch, so we can see it.
"Being stuck in standstill or slow-moving traffic can be frustrating, we get it, but it is never an excuse to put the lives of those around you, and your own life at risk. Nobody got hurt yesterday, but that outcome could have so easily been different.
"We will not tolerate driving that endangers lives. If you have information or footage that can help us, please call 101 quoting log 0689 of 23rd August."
