Late on Sunday night, February 15, 2026, the M6 motorway in Lancashire became the site of a major incident that would send shockwaves through the region’s transport network and leave thousands of motorists stranded or delayed. Just before midnight, a serious collision involving a lorry and two cars occurred on the northbound stretch between junctions 32 (M55) and 33 (Galgate), according to reports from Blog Preston, Lancashire Evening Post, and The Sun. The aftermath proved as disruptive as the crash itself, with emergency services scrambling to the scene and the motorway closed in both directions for hours.
Emergency services—including police, paramedics, firefighters, and National Highways traffic officers—were called to the scene at around 11:20pm. A spokesperson for Lancashire Police confirmed the gravity of the situation, stating, “We want to let you know that the M6 is currently closed Northbound between Junctions 32 – 33 due to a serious road traffic collision (Southbound is now open). We anticipate that the road will be closed for some time whilst we assess the situation.”
For motorists on the M6 and surrounding roads, the closure was more than an inconvenience—it was a logistical nightmare. Both carriageways were initially shut, trapping some drivers within the closed stretch as emergency teams began their investigation and rescue work. National Highways, quoted by The Sun, warned commuters to avoid the area and confirmed that the closure was necessary to allow for thorough collision investigation work. “The road has been closed throughout the night to allow for collision investigation works to take place,” the agency stated.
By the early hours of Monday, February 16, the situation remained dire. At 7am, National Highways provided an update: the northbound carriageway was still closed for further investigation, while the southbound side had reopened but with lane 3 remaining shut. The closure was expected to persist until at least 1pm, according to Traffic England, with some sources earlier predicting northbound traffic would be held until 10am. The extended shutdown contributed to mounting frustration among commuters and local residents alike.
The impact of the closure rippled far beyond the motorway itself. As traffic was diverted off the M6, the A6 Garstang Road through Barton, Broughton, Bilsborrow, and Garstang became the main alternative route. This diversion, marked with the hollow circle symbol for northbound and M55 eastbound traffic, quickly became overwhelmed. Severe delays were reported on the A6, with congestion stretching for miles and travel times ballooning. The Lancashire Evening Post reported at least 40 minutes of additional delay and four miles of congestion northbound, while AA Traffic News described “severe delays and delays increasing” on the M6 northbound between junctions 31 and 32.
Southbound drivers weren’t spared either. Diversion routes for those heading south involved exiting at junction 33, taking the A6 southbound through Garstang, Bilsborrow, Barton, and Broughton to M55 junction 1, then following the M55 to rejoin the M6 at junction 32. Even the M55 eastbound, a major feeder for the M6, was affected, with eastbound traffic intending to join the M6 northbound also advised to use the lengthy A6 diversion.
As dawn broke, the scale of the disruption became clear. Motorway cameras showed extensive congestion, and social media channels lit up with complaints from stranded motorists. Some drivers were caught within the closed stretch for hours, anxiously awaiting updates as emergency crews worked through the night. According to Blog Preston, motorists were urged to “look for an alternative route and drive carefully, leaving plenty of extra time to get to your destination.” The same message was echoed across official channels and media outlets, as authorities worked to manage both the incident and the growing public frustration.
While the precise cause of the crash was still under investigation at the time of reporting, the facts were clear: a lorry and two cars had collided in dramatic fashion, necessitating a full-scale emergency response and complex accident investigation. National Highways and Lancashire Police maintained a strong presence at the scene, with contractors assisting in traffic management and the painstaking process of documenting the incident. “We’ll keep tabs on what’s happening and update you here once the motorway is back open. As always, thank you for your patience and stay safe if you’re out and about today,” the police spokesperson added.
The closure of the M6—one of the UK’s busiest motorways—sent shockwaves through the region’s transport infrastructure. The A6, normally a secondary route, buckled under the strain of diverted motorway traffic. Businesses, commuters, and emergency services all felt the effects, with the closure coinciding with the Monday morning rush hour and causing knock-on delays across Lancashire. The situation was further complicated by a separate serious crash on the M66 in Greater Manchester, highlighting just how vulnerable the region’s road network can be to major incidents.
For many, the events of February 15 and 16 served as a stark reminder of the importance of rapid response and clear communication in the face of transport emergencies. The coordinated efforts of police, paramedics, firefighters, and National Highways officers were widely praised, but the incident also raised questions about resilience and contingency planning for future motorway closures. As one motorist stuck in the delays put it, “You never think it’ll happen to you until you’re sitting there, watching the clock tick past midnight, waiting for the road to clear.”
By mid-afternoon, the hope was that investigation work would be complete and the northbound M6 would reopen, restoring a vital artery for the region. Until then, patience—and a willingness to follow diversion signs—remained the order of the day. For Lancashire, it was a night and morning few will soon forget, and a sobering lesson in how quickly a single incident can bring even the busiest roads to a standstill.