A serious collision followed by a vehicle fire brought a key stretch of the M6 to a standstill overnight, leaving motorists diverted and facing rush-hour queues as authorities investigated the scene.

The motorway was closed in both directions between junction 23, near Newton-le-Willows/Haydock, and junction 24 at Ashton-in-Makerfield. Emergency services, including North West Motorway Police Group and Mersey Fire, attended, while National Highways traffic officers managed the disruption.¹

Coverage from right-leaning outlets put the emphasis on the scale and duration of the disruption. One report said the closure began shortly after 10.20pm on Sunday and was still in force at 6am on Monday, with queues building as commuters entered the network.¹ Another highlighted the warning to drivers that there was “no estimated time of when the road will reopen,” framing the incident primarily as a major rush-hour travel problem.²

The left-leaning report presented much the same operational account, but focused more closely on the sequence before a reopening could be considered. National Highways said a police collision investigation would continue for “several further hours,” after which recovery agents would remove the vehicles and the carriageway would be checked for damage.³

All accounts agreed that diversions were put in place via the A58 and A580, depending on direction of travel. They also indicated that police inquiries were later completed, leaving vehicle recovery and an assessment of the road surface as the remaining steps. One update reported delays of about 10 minutes on the approach, though it did not give a firm reopening time.³

The differing emphasis did not reflect a dispute over the facts: each account described a prolonged closure caused by the crash and fire, with authorities prioritising investigation and safety checks over a rapid return to normal traffic.