Traffic CHAOS near Middlebrook retail park as police close road

There was traffic chaos near Middlebrook retail park on Sunday morning (January 19) as police closed a road.

There were huge delays and congestion along De Havilland Way (A6027) with pictures showing long queues of vehicles on the approach to the roundabout and M61 junction. On social media, one motorist described it as 'carnage' as another said it was 'chaos' due to the police-led incident close to the motorway turn off.

"Every route into Middlebrook queuing. Have turned around and headed home," another person posted.

Police vehicles could be seen blocking the road. It is understood this was due to two heavy loads being escorted.

Pictures taken from near the motorway junction showed the road closure in place with the large vehicles transporting the large load, at around 11.45am.

An 'abnormal load' is a vehicle which exceeds certain dimensions, including a rigid length of over 61 feet or weighing more than 43.3 tonnes. In Greater Manchester, there are restrictions on times that abnormal loads can be transported on weekdays.

A post by North Yorkshire Weather Updates on social media also showed congestion on the M61 on Sunday morning at junction 6.