An 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle after a police pursuit on the M60 and M62 ended in a crash that shut part of the motorway and sent a member of the public to hospital.
Greater Manchester Police responded to reports of a vehicle being stolen on Wilson Street in Swinton, Salford, at around 10.30am on Saturday (November 14). The car was later spotted on the M60 by the National Police Air Service, the police helicopter.
Pursuit moves from M60 to M62
The vehicle was pursued on the M60 before moving onto the M62. The pursuit ended in West Yorkshire, on the eastbound carriageway of the M62 between junction 26, near Cleckheaton, and junction 27, near Birstall, when the suspected stolen car crashed.
The crash involved the suspected stolen vehicle and police tactical unit cars, the force said. A member of the public was taken to hospital with non-life-changing injuries. Part of the motorway between junctions 26 and 27 was shut for a time after the collision.
Arrest and motorway closure
National Highways said the closure was in place 'due to a multi-vehicle collision'. A GMP spokesman said: "The driver failed to stop for officers, prompting a pursuit which continued onto the M62, with assistance from West Yorkshire Police."
"Between junctions 26 and 27 of the M62, the vehicle collided with GMP tactical aid unit vehicles, causing damage to the police vehicles."
The 18-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle and being questioned in custody, the force said. Traffic had to be diverted via local roads. National Highways said the M62 reopened in both directions between junction 26 and junction 27 just after 3.30pm.
