Two dead in M6 crash that closed motorway for nine hours

Two people have died after a serious crash that closed the M6 for almost nine hours.

The incident, believed to involve one vehicle, took place on the northbound carriageway between J32 and J33 north of Preston at around 4pm on Thursday (August 12).

Emergency service rushed to the scene - including police, fire and ambulance personnel.

Upon arriving at the scene, the driver of the vehicle and the front seat passenger were both found dead.

The next of kin are being informed.

The carriageway remained closed for almost nine hours following the incident while collision investigators examined the scene - reopening just before 1am today.

There was a lot of congestion in the area, with Highways England reporting delays of at least 60 minutes northbound and seven miles of traffic.

Diversions were set up, but this also caused gridlock through Preston with the A6 Garstang Road in Fulwood affected in particular.

Three fire engines attended and helped to make the scene safe.

A spokesperson for Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service said: "We were called at 16:21hrs to reports of a road traffic collision on the M6 motorway, northbound carriageway between junction 32 and 33.

"Three fire crews, from Preston, Fulwood and Lancaster attended and assisted in making the scene safe."