West Midlands motorway drivers endured hours of delays today after a crash completely closed Birmingham’s busy Aston Expressway, causing long queues on the M6.

The Expressway was closed in both directions following the two-car collision at around 7.25am, which also meant junction 6 of the adjoining M6 had to be closed, causing jams on the motorway in both directions.

The two cars collided on the Expressway’s northbound carriageway travelling away from the city. One car flipped on to its side, trapping the driver. The driver was also trapped in the second car, with both having to be cut free from the wreckage by firefighters.

Read the full story in the Express & Star West Midlands motorway drivers endured hours of delays today after a crash completely closed Birmingham’s busy Aston Expressway, causing long queues on the M6.

The Expressway was closed in both directions following the two-car collision at around 7.25am, which also meant junction 6 of the adjoining M6 had to be closed, causing jams on the motorway in both directions.

The two cars collided on the Expressway’s northbound carriageway travelling away from the city. One car flipped on to its side, trapping the driver.

The driver was also trapped in the second car, with both having to be cut free from the wreckage by firefighters.

The chaos was compounded by an accident on the M6 half-an-hour earlier during which a Halesowen woman had a miraculous escape when her car collided with a lorry, leaving her upside down on the hard shoulder between junctions 5 and 6 northbound.

The woman, in her 30s, was pulled from the wreckage by other motorists and was unhurt, but the scene took two hours to clear.

Steve Parry, West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman, said: “Traffic congestion on the main approach road into the city was considerable.”

The M6 was heavily congested as traffic queued to get off the slip road at junction 6, which links with the Aston Expressway. Traffic was backed up four miles towards junction 7 at Great Barr and three miles to junction 5 at Castle Bromwich.

As a result of the Expressway accident, a man in his 20s suffered serious head injuries and was transferred by ambulance to City Hospital, in Birmingham. A second man in his 40s was treated for a minor shoulder injury and transferred to the same hospital.

Mike Woods, who was commuting from Birmingham to Wolverhampton, said: “I tried to drive through Walsall but it took me 45 minutes just to get through the Scott Arms. The traffic just wasn’t moving.”

Motorist, Shaun Bennett, aged 26, from Oldbury, added: “People were just sitting in solid traffic. You couldn’t go anywhere.”

By Chris Howes

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