Huge queues formed on the M6 northbound in Staffordshire on Thursday morning after a serious crash shut the motorway between J14 Stafford and J15 Stoke on Trent. Traffic was being held while emergency crews worked at the scene, and drivers faced long delays as rush hour began.
National Highways said the northbound carriageway was closed after a collision reported at about 05:10am, with Staffordshire Police leading the response and the fire service also at the scene. By the morning commute, there were three miles of congestion and at least 30 minutes of delays, with the agency warning of delays of up to 60 minutes on the approach to the closure at J14.
The crash disrupted one of the West Midlands’ busiest commuter routes at the worst possible time. The M6 northbound between junction 14 and 15 stayed shut as traffic built quickly behind the closure, and National Highways said a collision investigation team was on its way to the motorway. It was not clear when the road would reopen.
For drivers caught in the backlog, the impact was immediate. National Highways put a diversion route in place for northbound traffic and advised those travelling from further afield to use the M1 and the A50 instead. That warning came as the queue stretched to seven miles and the delay time rose to an hour, underlining how quickly the morning breakdown on the motorway turned into a major traffic problem.
The key question now is how long the closure will last. With police leading the response and investigation work still under way, the northbound M6 remained blocked through the morning peak, and motorists heading toward Staffordshire and Stoke were left waiting for an answer the road agency could not yet give.
