Long M6 and M54 delays as animal carcasses spilled across motorway
Drivers faced long delays on the M6 and M54 today after food and animal waste was spilled across a motorway.
The southbound M6 was fully closed for around 45 minutes after the spillage happened near Walsall at around 12.40pm.
Debris was left scattered across the carriageway between Junction 10 for Walsall and Junction 9 Wednesbury, with traffic backed up to Junction 11 for Cheslyn Hay and onto the M54 as a result.
All four lanes and the southbound entry slip road were closed at Junction 10, where parts of dead animals were left scattered across the road behind the lorry they were being transported in.
Two lanes were back open by 3pm but the final two lanes remained closed four hours later, with delays of more than 30 minutes on the M6 as a result.
Highways England warned motorists to expect disruption and thanked drivers for their patience as a specialist crew was sent to the scene to clear the contaminated waste.
The highways agency said there was more than six miles of congestion on the M6 and slow eastbound traffic on the M54 from Junction 1.
The spillage is thought to include food waste and animal waste.
