DRIVERS faced lengthy delays after a combination of incidents brought roads to a standstill in north Warrington on Wednesday.

A motorway accident, a burst pipe and appalling weather conditions resulted in the busy A49 Winwick Road grinding to a halt during the morning rush hour.

Trouble started at about 6.30am when two HGVs and a car were involved in a collision on the south bound carriageway of the M6 close to junction 21A.

The accident blocked both carriageways for more than an hour with traffic tailing back for several miles while the emergency services attempted to clear the wreckage.

Motorists attempting to avoid the motorway madness were then caught up in road works as water engineers worked on a leaking pipe on the southbound dual carriageway of Winwick Road.

A series of minor collisions also added to problems as people battled to get into work on time.

PC Bob Graham, of Warrington police's traffic division, said: "It was mostly the problems on the motorway that led to congestion on the A49.

"It was a bit of a pantomime. The trouble is that even the slightest increase in traffic on busy roads such as this often leads to heavy congestion.

"Add to this roadworks and things can grind to a halt," he said.

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