M62 nightmare for thousands of motorists stranded overnight
3,500 vehicles became stranded in freezing temperatures and gale force winds near Rochdale.
Last updated 2nd Mar 2018
Thousands of motorists have spent the night stranded on the M62 near Rochdale as trecherous weather conditions hit the network.
The carriageway was closed eastbound last night between Junction 18 to Junction 19 and Junction 20-22 because of snow drifts and gale force winds of up to 90mph over the Rakewood Viaduct. The westbound side was also closed from J24-21.
The carriageway is still closed this morning between J21-22 and highways bosses have admitted they're not sure when it will reopen.
They've cut the barrier of the central reservation to allow hundreds of motorists to turn around and go back the other way but it's a slow process and dozens of HGVs are expected to be stuck throughout the morning.
Overnight, drivers took to twitter to in a desperate bid to find out information.
George Blythe was travelling to Manchester from Leeds for a job interview. He had been at a standstill for at least five hours when KEY 103 spoke to him.
Relatives also posted messages to try and trace loved ones whose phone battery's had gone flat.
The closure came just hours after it was shut earlier in the day due to snow and a vehicle fire on the eastbound stretch between Milnrow and Rishworth Moor, with congestion back to the Simister Island junction for the M60 and M66.
Dave Webb, 37, from Wakefield, told us he had been on the motorway for 10 hours.
We came to a halt at about 5.30pm last night and have been here since,'' he said. "There hasn't been any snow since about 6.30pm but the wind is pretty strong and gusting.''
A group of volunteers in Milnrow, Rochdale, braved the conditions to take hot drinks, food and blankets to those left stranded, and opened up a community centre for those seeking refuge.
The latest from GMP is that motorists should not attempt to travel - especially not on the M62 across the Pennines, until the weather improves.