Part of the M62 near Greater Manchester has been closed this morning following an offal spillage, authorities have said.
A slip road connecting the trans-Pennine motorway to the M606 and Bradford was shut at 5:45am and is expected to cause disruption at rush hour, according to National Highways. The organisation, which runs England's motorways, said the West Yorkshire road requires specialist cleaning and will take several hours to reopen.
Specialist cleaning required
"M62 westbound J26 exit slip onto Chain Bar Interchange. Fully closed due to an offal spillage," said a post on X. "Specialist clean up is required. It's expected remain closed during morning peak travel and is likely to cause congestion. Currently no significant delays on the approach."
Around 30 minutes after National Highways' announcement, traffic began building around the area of the closure.
Key junction for commuters
Junction 26 is the key connection between the M62 and M606, the motorway which runs into Bradford city centre. The junction also links the M62 with the A638, which serves other West Yorkshire towns.
The interchange is only a few junctions away from Greater Manchester's section of the M62, which starts in Oldham before joining the M60 in Bury and continuing on its own path at junction 12 in Eccles, Salford.
Offal - the internal organs and entrails of butchered animals - has been enjoying a renaissance in British cooking, earning a place on the menu at Michelin-recommended Manchester restaurant Higher Ground. It is not known how much offal has ended up on the motorway.
