Man Dies After Driving Wrong Way on M6
A man in his 50s has died after driving the wrong way on the M6 and colliding with another car late on Sunday night. Lancashire Police said they were first alerted to a Vauxhall Astra travelling in the wrong direction on the southbound carriageway near Charnock Richard services at 9:33pm. Just minutes later, the car crashed into a Toyota Corolla carrying two men in their 40s.
"Sadly, the driver of the Astra, a man in his 50s, was pronounced dead at the scene," police confirmed. The two occupants of the Corolla were taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The M6 was closed between Junction 28 (Leyland) and Junction 27 (Standish) for over 15 hours while investigators examined the scene, finally reopening around 12:50pm on Monday. The closure caused significant delays, with some drivers facing journeys up to 100 minutes longer than usual.
Sergeant Rebecca Price from Lancashire Police’s Road Policing Unit said: “A man has sadly died in this collision, and our thoughts are with his loved ones at this time. I want to make a direct appeal to anyone who was travelling on the motorway, and may have witnessed, or have dashcam footage of the collision.”
Officers believe the Astra may also have been involved in a damage-only collision on Blackpool Road in Preston at around 9:15pm, shortly before the crash on the M6. They are urging anyone with information or dashcam footage to come forward.
Sergeant Price added: “We know that this collision has had a significant impact on traffic in the area, and we thank those of you who were stuck in the traffic or had your route delayed for your patience whilst we responded to the incident.”
Police have also asked the public to avoid online speculation. “This will understandably cause some discussion in the local community, but I want to take this time to ask that you please refrain from speculating online or otherwise and allow our team to carry out our investigation. Please remember that there are real people who have been affected by this collision who may see your comments online.”
Anyone with information or footage can call 101 or email SCIU@lancashire.police.uk
, quoting log 1162 of 26th October.
