Police slam motorists who 'abandoned cars and played football' in middle of M6 as man is arrested

Police have slammed motorists who 'abandoned' their cars and 'played football' on the M6 during a huge traffic jam on Saturday (August 31).

Emergency services were called to reports of a distressed man on a bridge near to J33. The motorway was closed off in both directions as police responded to the incident.

Within a few minutes, police said motorists held in the closure got out of their vehicles, with children 'running freely onto the carriageway' and others 'playing football'.

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Others later 'abandoned' their cars, even walking to the nearby services and crossing the motorway while it was closed by police.

Once the incident had cleared, a number of empty cars blocked the motorway and caused further delays, with other drivers not able to continue their journeys due to their passengers struggling to reach the vehicles.

The man who was reported on the bridge was arrested for aggravated vehicle taking, driving while unfit through drink/drugs and disqualified driving. He was taken into custody to be questioned.

A post shared by Lancashire Police read: "Sadly within a few minutes, a number of motorists held in the blocks thought it was acceptable to get out of their vehicles to see what was going on. Some people allowed their children to run freely on the carriageway and others began to play frisbee and football.

"Unbelievably a number of motorists abandoned their cars and went into the services, with many crossing to the opposite side of the motorway. The motorway was not closed for a significant time and the incident was resolved very swiftly, with the individual in question being arrested for Aggravated Vehicle Taking, driving