Rush hour chaos as two crashes clog M60, M61 and M62

Tuesday, 2 September 2025 08:12

By David Murphy

Motorists face major disruption as incidents bring Greater Manchester’s busiest roads to a standstill

Drivers are facing severe delays across Greater Manchester’s motorway network this morning after two separate incidents on the M60 caused widespread congestion during the rush hour commute.

The first disruption occurred on the clockwise carriageway of the M60 near junction 17 at Prestwich and Whitefield, where an obstruction partially blocked the road. Traffic quickly backed up past junction 13 at Worsley, with knock-on delays reported as far as the M62 westbound and M60 anticlockwise lanes approaching Simister Island and junction 19 for Heywood and Middleton.

Meanwhile, a second crash was reported on the anticlockwise stretch of the M60 at junction one near the Stockport Pyramid. One lane was closed temporarily, adding to congestion in the area. While the lane later reopened, long queues remained due to the earlier delays.

Live traffic data showed a significant stretch of the M60 is affected, with long tailbacks in both directions. Motorists also face extended delays on the M61 southbound as vehicles tried to access the already gridlocked ring road.

Traffic monitoring service Inrix describes the first incident as an "obstruction on the road at J17 A56 Bury New Road", while the second incident involved a crash that resulted in queueing traffic at the Stockport junction.

National Highways traffic camera images of heavy congestion near junction 16 at Swinton, confirming the severity of the situation ahead of the morning peak. Google Maps data also indicated widespread disruption across the M60, M61 and M62 corridors by 8am.

Drivers were urged to avoid the affected areas or expect significant delays during their morning journeys.