Night closures announced for M6

Three nights of closures on the M6 next week between Walsall and Cannock have been announced today.

The closures will be in both directions between Junction 10 and 11, including the M54 southbound link to the M6 and the M6 northbound link to the M54.

The first closure will be on Tuesday with a further two nights of closures on Wednesday and Thursday from around 10pm each night.

It is for cabling to be installed and more work to be done on the gantries and directional signs ahead of the hard shoulder being opened to traffic during peak times next year.

Anthony Aston from the Highways Agency said: "We are undertaking these important works at night to minimise disruption to motorists. Diversions will be clearly signed and our advice to road users is to check your route before you leave for any delays."

The Highways Agency has also today how work on the M6J10-10A is due to finish by the August 30 Bank Holiday. The remaining works on this section of motorway include the new CCTV masts, drainage works in the emergency refuge areas and the fixing of electronic lane indication and fixed directional signing to the gantries along the scheme. Workers will also be removing temporary safety barriers and the narrow lanes.

Work will continue on the other section of the scheme, M6 J10-8 until March, 2011.

The agency today said it was too early for results as to how successful hard shoulder running had been from the Junction 4-5 which was introduced last year.

Mr Aston added: "The scheme only opened in December and we need at least six months' worth of data to undertake a meaningful evaluation."

The hard shoulder scheme has provoked controversy in some areas where trees have been cut back protecting residents homes from the M6 in order to create new emergency lay-bys off the hard shoulder.

Some people living near the M6 motorway in streets such as Murdock Way on the Beechdale Estate say gantries for new signs which are taller than their houses were also put up without them being warned.

And others say the cutting back of trees has also led to an increase in rats in the streets.

The Highways Agency has since cut the size of some gantries after consultation with residents.

Walsall North MP David Winnick is among those who are still campaigning for more concessions from the agency.