A warning has been issued to drivers over a dangerous skidding hazard on smart motorways.
According to Mail Online, leaked National Highways' documents show the orange paint in emergency refuge areas could be a hazard.
Laybys are an important safefy feature on smart motorways - and National Highways started painting them orange in 2017 to increase visibility.
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However, the documents cited a "near miss'" on the M6 near junction 16 was caused by a slippery layby - and traffic officers warned this had the "potential to reoccur" as it appeared to be "a design fault".
Transport Minister Grant Shapp s is said to have demanded a full investigation from road bosses - and the claims have been described as "seriously concerning" by the AA.
AA president Edmund King said: "It is a serious concern that skid resistance might be compromised in some emergency refuge areas due to the wrong sort of surface paint."
The RAC's roads policy officer warned this is likely to be even more dangerous in wet conditions.
Nicholas Lyes added: 'Given these refuge areas are short in length and vehicles will be exiting on to a high-speed road, adequate grip is essential to avoid serious collisions when re-joining the motorway, particularly in wet conditions.'
There are 300 refuges in the smart motorway network - and the National Highways smart motorway programme director said they are currently investigating the issue.
David Bray added: "Through our own standard internal processes we became aware of an issue involving skid resistance on a small number of emergency areas and we are investigating whether any further surface treatments are required."
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