GMP traffic cops blame M62 snow gritting delays on…

GMP traffic cops blame M62 snow gritting delays on 'illegal drivers'

Traffic officers at Greater Manchester Police said 'illegal drivers' caused 'severe delays' to them clearing the heavy snow from the M62 overnight.

Officers said they were 'doing their best' to plough and grit the motorway over the Pennines and near Rochdale amid the blizzard, but said that motorists who were illegally using the hard shoulder and closed lanes were slowing them down. The RAC also said 'the situation was made worse' by drivers overtaking other vehicles and getting stuck in fresh snow.

This comes after some drivers got 'completely stuck' in the gridlocked traffic for as long as seven hours as closures were put in place overnight. Severe delays remain on the eastbound side of the motorway this morning, with drivers still being warned of three-hour delays.

At around 3.40am this morning, GMP’s traffic officers posted a message on their Twitter account which said: "(We are) doing our best, but ploughing/gritting have been severely delayed due to the hard shoulder and red X lanes being blocked by some drivers illegally using them."

RAC breakdown spokesman Rod Dennis told the PA news agency: "A substantial amount of snow falling in a very short space of time can quickly lead to problems even if a road has been treated, and it looks like that’s what happened on the M62 overnight.

"The situation was made worse by drivers overtaking slower moving traffic only to find themselves stuck in a lane of fresh snow."

He added: "Things are thankfully now improving but the scenes of stranded drivers is the perfect reminder of why it’s so important to carry a warm blanket, a winter coat, extra layers, food and drink and a power bank and phone-charging cable."

Salt spread by gritters does not stop snow from settling on road surfaces, but it does make it easier to remove with snowploughs. National Highways, the government-owned company responsible for England’s motorways and major A roads, said it was 'well prepared' for the conditions and had deployed gritters for the past week.

Duncan Smith, National Highways executive director of operations, said: "We are well prepared and our gritters have been out in full force since Friday March 3 and will continue to treat the roads. We are asking drivers to plan ahead, check the forecast and allow more time for their journeys."

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