Snow causes traffic chaos around Wigan

A crash occurred at J26 of the M6 northbound carriageway at around 8am today (Thursday).

Two of the three lanes were closed and traffic ground to a halt all the way to J22 at Winwick. All lanes are now open.

There were also severe delays on the southbound carriageway from J26 to J27 at Appley Bridge.

As rush hour hit, reports came flooding in of dangerous road conditions across the borough, with traffic building on major routes in and out of the town centre.

GMP Wigan closed Gathurst Road following a multi-car collision, but it has since been reopened.

GMP Traffic added: "Gathurst Road closed in both directions due to rtc and stranded vehicles. We are in the process of dragging the stranded vehicles out of the way and getting it gritted Sorry for the delay."

The snow has affected borough bus services, with the Arriva 395 from Wigan to Skelmersdale and the Arrive 352 from Wigan to St Helens both being stopped for the time being.

Bin collections have also been affected, with the town hall saying waste collectors are out this morning but pickups in Standish, Appley Bridge, Shevington and Ashton will be affected.

Wigan Council has come under fire from furious motorists questioning why the roads were not gritted.

However a town hall spokesperson confirmed that the teams were out at 6pm last night gritting roads and are out again this morning.