M6 delays: Crashes and breakdowns cause long queues southbound and northbound
Drivers on the M6 were confronted with hour-long delays after two crashes in quick succession and a breakdown on Monday morning.
Motorists heading southbound are backed up towards Wolverhampton and onto the M54 as a result of one smash, while queues have stretched back to the M42 on the northbound route.
The collisions either side of the carriageway both happened near Spaghetti Junction.
Two lanes were closed southbound from Junction 7 Great Barr to Junction 6 after a crash at around 7.30am.
That was cleared within an hour but delays of more than an hour were continuing at 10.30am with a broken down vehicle between Junction 9 for Wednesbury and Junction 8 for the M5 Link Road adding to the congestion.
The vehicle was blocking two lanes, with Highways England warning of eight miles of congestion as a result as vehicles queued bumper to bumper back past Junction 10a for the M54.
Meanwhile three lanes were closed northbound between Junction 5 Castle Bromwich and Junction 6 Spaghetti Junction after a crash at around 7.30am.
Traffic officers attended the scene and all vehicles were moved into lane four of the motorway, with Highways England reporting delays of around an hour in six miles of congestion until the vehicles were moved an hour later
Another crash on the northbound carriageway on Monday afternoon between Junction 9 Wednesdbury and Junction 10 closed two lanes, but had been cleared away by 3pm.
The incidents happened on the same day that the 'stay at home' rule ended, with people once again allowed to travel without a specified excuse.
