Chaos fears for holiday getaway

Motorists across the West Midlands are preparing for a traffic nightmare over the bank holiday weekend as the M6 ground to a halt today.

Just a single carriageway was open after a fatal accident closed all three carriages northbound and a paint spill between junctions 14 and 13 through Stafford closed all but one lane of traffic.

While work has been suspended on a total of 23 road repairs nationally over the Easter weekend, works between junctions 12 and 13 of the M6 near Stafford, and junction nine near Walsall will continue.

Families who set off for their weekend breaks today hoping to miss the queues were frustrated as the M6 northbound was completely closed at junction 16 at Keele, where two people were killed in an six-vehicle accident at 4am.Traffic travelling southbound was also severely delayed after a two-vehicle HGV accident caused a lorry to shed its load across two carriageways.

The accident happened at 11.50pm yesterday with one of the junctions reopened at 8.40am today. But highways bosses were unsure how long the closure of lane one would continue after it was revealed that chemicals in the paint could have damaged the road, meaning a 75 metre-stretch of carriageway will have to be resurfaced.

Break Highways Agency traffic officers will be specially patrolling motorways over the holiday to assist drivers in the event of incidents and accidents.

Derek Turner, of the Highways agency said: "Easter is the first opportunity for many people to enjoy a break since Christmas.

"That is why we are completing and suspending over half the roadworks on the strategic network so that these important roads can be available to drivers."

Road works suspended in the West Midlands include the area between junctions two and one on the M42 near Bromsgrove, and those completed include the A5/A483/B4579 Mile End roundabout close to Oswestry and work on the M42 at junctions three, four, five and six, the A38 Weeford and Toyota Island between Tamworth and Burton and junction nine on the M42.

Just over 100,000 people will be going through Birmingham Airport between tomorrow and Monday, a 3.5 per cent rise on last year.

By Sally Walmsley