M6 crash: Lorry overturns as motorway closed and Air Ambulance attends scene

There are severe delays on the M6 this afternoon after the motorway was closed following an overturned lorry.

At 11.20am, police were called to the incident on the motorway close to J33 for A6 Preston Lancaster Road. The motorway was closed in both directions and the Air Ambulance also attended the scene.

Traffic has been at a standstill on the M6 from J33 to J32. Pictures shared on social media show a lorry that has been overturned on the stretch of road and along the central reservation.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Police told LancsLive: "We were called at about 11.20am to reports of a serious collision on the M6 motorway close to junction 33. The motorway is currently closed in both directions while emergency services deal with the incident.

"We will release further information when we are in a position to do so." Earlier on, Lancashire Police posted online that they "anticipate this will be closed for a number of hours" as they deal with the incident.

According to National Highways, the "serious collision" involved a heavy goods vehicle "that has collided with the central reservation and has subsequently overturned, coming to rest on its side, on the opposite carriageway".

National Highways predicted traffic would not return to normal at around 4.30pm. Road users travelling southbound are advised to follow the Hollow Diamond diversion route:

• Exit the M6 at J33 (Lancaster South)
• At the roundabout take the first exit at A6 Garstang, Blackpool, Fleetwood
• Follow the A6 southbound through Garstang, Bilsborrow, Barton,
• Broughton to M55 J1 (Broughton)
• Take the first roundabout exit for Birmingham M6
• Follow the M55 to re-join the M6 J32, heading south towards Birmingham