Overview
- Greater Manchester Police were called at 7:42am to a concern for welfare on the M6 near Ashton-in-Makerfield, where a woman was pronounced dead at the scene.
- Police say formal identification is pending and there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances in the death.
- The M6 is closed in both directions between junctions 23 (Haydock) and 26 (Orrell), with National Highways warning the closure is expected to last much of the day and advising diversions via the M58, A570 and A580.
- Local roads including Downall Green Road are also closed in connection with the M6 incident, and delays of up to an hour with several miles of congestion have been reported on approaches.
- Separately, a lorry fire shut the M25 anticlockwise between J25 and J24 in Hertfordshire and a vehicle fire between J5 and J6 in Surrey has been extinguished with all lanes reopened but residual delays persisting, while an earlier collision near J28 on Thursday had cleared with queues easing.