Motorists braced for second day of difficulties as roadworks blight the M5

OVER running roadworks threaten to bring more misery to motorists in the West Midlands for the second day in succession.

Both carriageways of the M5 Junction 5 for Droitwich and Junction 4a for the M42 have been affected and motorists using the area have been warned of lengthy delays until the stretch is reopened.

The problems follow the serious accident which closed the M6 for almost 24 hours yesterday.

The section of the M6 between Junction 5 at Castle Bromwich and Spaghetti Junction (J6) was closed shortly after 2am yesterday following a fatal collision between a car and a lorry.

The accident brought chaos to the roads around Birmingham with drivers experiencing delays of up to 90 minutes.

Highways England put out regular on the expected re-opening time but in the event the section of road did not reopen until after 1am today.

The closure has prompted calls for the M6 Toll to be made free to use in such emergencies and by a strange quirk of fate, Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin was in Birmingham yesterday to open the offices of HS2 Ltd in the city centre.

When asked about the possibility of using the M6 Toll as a diversionary route he said he was willing to pose the question and see what happened.

In the meantime, crash investigators are appealing for witnesses to the collision, which left a 26-year-old man dead.

The man, who was driving a blue Saab 9-3, collided with the lorry just before 2am on the northbound stretch between junctions 5 and 6.

The man, who has not been named, was the sole occupant of the Saab. The lorry driver escaped with minor injuries.

Much of the delays yesterday were due to crash investigation specialists having to examine the scene.

PC Chris Ridge, of West Midlands Police’s Collision Investigation Unit, said: “We understand there were other vehicles on that section of the motorway at the time who may have witnessed what led up to the collision or the impact itself.

“We have spoken to some drivers who stopped at the scene but it’s important that anyone who was driving nearby at the time to get in touch…they may have a key bit of information that will help our investigation.”

Anyone with information is asked to call the Collision Investigation Unit on the non-emergency 101 number.
 

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