M6 bosses say roadwork closures will be lifted for Queen's funeral days after drivers stuck in queues for hours

Motorway closures for roadworks across the UK will be postponed ahead of the state funeral of Her Majesty the Queen, it was confirmed today. Hundreds of thousands of mourners are expected to descend on London from Wednesday up until the funeral next Monday, a Bank Holiday.

Announcing the move, National Highways said the planned closure of the southbound M6 - between junctions 33 and 32 north of Preston - will be among the roadworks postponed this weekend. It comes after the closures for the same stretch of motorway last weekend caused traffic chaos, with huge delays and drivers claiming they were forced to 'ration water' after being stuck in queues stretching up to nine hours long.

Highways bosses said planned closures of 'major routes' in and out of London will also be postponed to reduce congestion as large numbers of people travel to the capital for ceremonial and commemorative events to mark the Queen's passing.

READ MORE: Queen lying in state - official guidance and everything you need to know if you want to pay your respects

All closures for roadworks on motorways in and out of London will be paused from the start of this week until after the funeral. They include planned closures on motorways including the M25, M11, M3, M4, and M23.

"Additionally, all other closures on the motorway network nationally will be postponed for the duration of the extended bank holiday weekend," said National Highways. "Existing roadworks will also be removed where possible, with cones and temporary signals withdrawn from 6am on Friday 16 September and not put back in place until Tuesday, September 20.

"A planned closure of the southbound M6 between junctions 33 and 32 north of Preston will be among the roadworks postponed this