M6 northbound reopens after major crash between Leyland and Standish leaves driver 'seriously injured'

The motorway was shut in both directions earlier this morning between junctions 27 (Standish) and 28 (Leyland) after a collision involving a van and a stationary skip wagon.

While the southbound carriageway reopened earlier in the day, the northbound section remained closed for several hours as emergency services responded at the scene.

In an update issued at around 4.50pm, National Highways confirmed the northbound carriageway had reopened. However, one lane will remain closed to allow for resurfacing work.

“There’s three miles of congestion on approach at this time,” a spokesman for the traffic agency said.

Meanwhile, Lancashire Police condemned motorists seen filming the aftermath of the crash while driving past.

“Two people have already been seen doing this, and we will look to prosecute them in due course,” a police spokesperson said.

The warning follows a similar incident earlier this week, when several drivers were caught using mobile phones to record a separate collision on the M6.

That collision on Tuesday left eight people injured - including two children - with five suffering serious injuries.

One child was airlifted to Manchester Children’s Hospital.

During that incident, police observed several motorists filming the scene while driving, including one person recording out of a window while operating a minibus full of children.

An HGV driver was also seen filming and officers say investigations are ongoing to identify all those involved.

“We were able to record at least five others doing the same thing,” a spokesman for the force said.