Delays on M61 after crash and oil spill near Kearsley

The incident happened on the southbound M61 between junction 2 (Lostock) and junction 1 (Kearsley), just south of Bolton, March 28.

Emergency services, including Greater Manchester Police and the North West Ambulance Service, attended the scene, and traffic was held while the area was made safe.

Two of the four southbound lanes were closed, leading to major delays and congestion stretching towards junction 4.

A spokesman for National Highways said: “All lanes are now open on the M61 southbound between J2 and J1 near Kearsley south of Bolton.

“The earlier collision, oil spill and debris has been cleared.

Photos from the scene showed heavy traffic building up in the area.

At the height of the incident, drivers faced delays of up to 20 minutes with queues stretching for around two miles.

Traffic was intermittently held while emergency services responded.

All lanes reopened by around 4.42pm, but residual delays remained until traffic returned to normal later in the afternoon.

National Highways confirmed the reopening of all lanes and the removal of debris and oil from the carriageway.

The road was fully cleared by 6.01pm.

It is not yet known how many vehicles were involved in the collision or whether anyone was injured.

National Highways and North West Ambulance Service have been contacted for comment.