A Morning Crash Grinds the M60 to a Halt
Motorists were met with a wall of flashing lights and miles of queuing tailbacks as the M60 motorway came to a sudden standstill just before lunchtime on July 7. The scene near Stockport looked more like the aftermath of a demolition derby: three massive lorries, a van, and two cars tangled messily across the carriageway, surrounded by twisted metal and scattered debris. One heavy goods vehicle had barrelled through the central barrier, leveling lamp posts like dominoes. Another HGV spewed its cargo—dozens of beer barrels—across both sides of the motorway, making the cleanup even messier.
The crash, which unfolded between Bredbury Interchange (junction 25) and the Pyramid Roundabout (junction 1), turned a busy stretch of road into a rescue and recovery zone. Fuel tanks ruptured on impact, and diesel flowed across the tarmac, triggering a hazardous material alert. With diesel and debris coating both carriageways, emergency responders rushed to assess the risks, prevent fires, and treat the injured.
Emergency Response and Recovery: A Race Against the Clock
Within minutes, all available emergency crews arrived on scene. Firefighters worked quickly to free trapped passengers — a delicate and dangerous job with damaged vehicles and spilled fuel everywhere. Ambulance staff treated six people for minor injuries right there on the roadside. Three others were loaded into ambulances and sent to nearby hospitals; thankfully, none of the injuries are believed to be life-threatening.
The scale of the devastation quickly became clear. Not only did first responders have to get everyone to safety, but they also faced a major environmental mess. Damaged lamp posts and twisted central reservation barriers meant that specialist teams had to repair critical roadside infrastructure. Meanwhile, road workers worked late into the night scraping up diesel, hauling away broken lamp posts, and shoveling up beer barrels.
National Highways couldn’t take any chances—the motorway was just too dangerous to reopen. Crews ripped up chunks of ruined tarmac, laid hot asphalt, and double-checked crash barriers for damage. Clean-up stretched through the night, with the road still closed almost a full day after the crash. Drivers stuck in the chaos dealt with lengthy diversions and bumper-to-bumper delays as engineers pushed to reopen the vital route by 10:00 AM on July 8.
For many commuters, hauliers, and emergency teams, Monday turned into a long and frustrating saga. A normal Monday morning turned into a challenge of patience and logistics for thousands trying to get around the northwestern edge of Manchester. The full reopening of the M60 came as a huge relief for the region, highlighting just how critical this artery is to keeping traffic—and daily life—moving.
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