Northbound traffic on the M66 was briefly stopped near Simister Island after a crash at 8:45am, leaving vehicles held between junction four at the M60 and junction three at Pilsworth Road. Queues built quickly in the area as drivers tried to get through one of Greater Manchester’s busiest motorway links.

The disruption hit drivers joining the M66 from the M60, with long lines of traffic building through Prestwich and toward Clifton. Heavy congestion also spread onto the M60 clockwise as vehicles approached Simister Island, while delays were reported back past junction 17 at Prestwich and Whitefield and toward junction 16 at Clifton. There were also delays joining Simister Island from the M60 anticlockwise near Heaton Park. For motorists caught in it, the problem was not just the crash itself but the squeeze it created across the junction network around the interchange.

The incident has since been cleared and traffic has been released on the M66, but the queues did not disappear with the closure. Congestion and delays remained on the M60 around Simister Island after the northbound lanes reopened, which is often what turns a short-lived motorway stop into a longer commute for everyone trying to join or pass through the area. The cause of the crash was not given.

For now, the main question for drivers is not whether the M66 is open again — it is — but how long the tailback around Simister Island will take to settle before the morning flow returns to normal.