M65 motorway closed for 18 hours due to accident, police said

Due to a road accident, the M65 was closed in both directions from 9.23pm on Friday 6 September until shortly after 4pm on Saturday 7 September.

While officers investigated the incident, the motorway was closed in both directions between junction 5 to Guide and junction 6 to Blackburn.

Highways England said the road reopened shortly after 4pm and traffic was flowing smoothly.

LIVE: Motorway reopened after long accident closure

The police thanked the motorists for their patience while the officers carried out their work on the scene.

Lancashire Police have been asked for further details of the incident but no further information has been provided.

The nature of the incident, the number of vehicles involved, whether anyone was injured, whether there were any arrests and why the closure lasted so long are unknown.

Andy Fitzgerald, from Padiham, got caught in a traffic jam near the scene of the accident and said he was stuck in traffic for more than two hours.

Mr Fitzgerald, a chef at Bobbin Mill in Buckshaw Village, said motorists would have to turn around on the motorway to avoid the closure.

He said: “I was on my way home to Padiham and was stuck in a traffic jam for over two hours.

“The police came and knocked on the car windows. Then we had to turn around on the motorway where we had stopped to leave the M65. We exited at the Shadsworth junction.

“It was really bad and people were looking over the bridge to see [the crash].”