Lancashire Police have condemned motorists who were seen driving in the wrong direction on the M6 motorway near junction 34, calling the behaviour 'absolutely unacceptable'. The incident occurred on Sunday afternoon (August 23) following a collision on the northbound lane, when several vehicles turned around and drove back up a slip road to avoid joining the motorway.
While nobody was seriously hurt in the collision or as a result of the wrong-way driving, officers stated the outcome 'could have so easily been different'. The police have identified several of the vehicles and drivers involved and pledged to take 'appropriate action' against them.
Police appeal for dashcam footage
Lancashire Police are now appealing for anyone with dashcam footage or mobile phone recordings of other drivers who went the wrong way to come forward. The force said it was 'really important' that people with relevant footage get in touch so officers can see it.
The full statement, posted 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.'
Fatal wrong-way crashes cited
The incident came just a day after a crash killed seven when a car was travelling in the wrong direction on the A66. Two police officers and five others lost their lives in a crash in Teesside early on Saturday when a Volkswagen Passat, which had been pursued by police, was driven the wrong way along a dual carriageway.
It 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.
Following that incident, TikTok videos surfaced showing one of the deceased men filming himself driving recklessly in the months leading up to the fatal crash. This tragic event followed another accident in which five teenagers lost their lives on the M9 in Co Kildare after their BMW crashed while driving in the wrong direction in an attempt to evade police. Three women and a seven-year-old boy in the other vehicle involved in the head-on collision were left seriously injured and hospitalised.
Lancashire Police warned that such reckless driving 'can have utterly devastating consequences' and said: '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.'
The force added: '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.'
