The incident, between junctions 6 and 7 Westbound, saw one vehicle on fire
A section of the M56 is closed this morning after a collision.
The incident, between junctions 6 and 7 Westbound, saw one vehicle on fire.
Currently, that section of the motorway is closed - resulting in miles of traffic.
Junction 6 is the Hale Four Seasons roundabout, with junction 7 for Lymm.
Emergency service workers are on-scene, transport authorities have said.
"The M56 westbound between J6 and J7 is currently blocked due to a collision which has resulted in a vehicle fire. Cheshire Fire & [North West Motorway Police] are on scene. Thank you for your patience," Highways North West tweeted.
They added: "Please note, there are currently 3 miles of congestion and 20 minute delays due to this collision."
This is a developing story, with more updates to follow. Please check out liveblog below for the latest.
Highways North West have announced the road has reopened following today's crash.
The incident, at 6:23am, caused disruption lasting almost eight hours.
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M56 w/b j6-8 remains shut after an earlier crash and lorry fire. Vehicles recovered but the road surface is being inspected. Queues to j4 with heavy traffic on parts of the diversion through Hale Barns, Altrincham and Bowdon using the A538, A56 and. B5162. pic.twitter.com/s85r8BoUrH
Congestion appears to have been lifted, according to National Highways, but the closure remains in place (dotted shading).
Here's their latest map:
According to Inrix, all contraflow traffic should now have been released.
The latest alert from the traffic monitors said: "By 10:40 all trapped traffic has since been released, including the contraflow lane.
"This was after an accident involving a car and a lorry resulting in the lorry catching fire."
We are still awaiting confirmation on the re-opening of the road from the authorities.
In the meantime, check out our summary of everything we know so far.
It appears a second collision has taken place, causing more delays.
Drivers are reporting that while trapped traffic has been released from the westbound carriageway, those in the contraflow lane are still stuck - because of this crash.
@manairport . Apologies for any confusion. Traffic caught in westbound closure has been released. Traffic in the contraflow was also being released but there was a second collision. Once this is cleared the remaining traffic will be released again. Thanks for your patience.
All traffic within the closure has now been released past the scene. The closure remains in place for recovery and clean up. Thank you for your patience.
We've put together a summary of this morning's events, that you can read below. Thanks for tuning in to our coverage, we'll keep providing updates as we get them.
Inrix's latest update says congestion is now backing up to junction 25 of the M60.
Its update said: "M56 Westbound closed, queueing traffic due to earlier lorry fire between J6 A538 Hale Road (Hale Four Seasons Roundabout) and J7 A556 Chester Road ( Bowdon ).
"Congestion to J1 (M60 interchange) which is causing delays back to J25 (Brinnington) on the Clockwise carriageway with delays on the opposite side due to onlookers."
New video from social media shows the scale of the lorry fire this morning.
Four vehicles - two cars and two HGVs - collided shortly after 6:40am on the M56.
Cheshire Police say, thankfully, no injuries have been reported.
Inrix is also reporting that more delays are being seen on the M62 and M60 as drivers seek alternative routes.
Here's how traffic is coping in the area as we approach the 9am start time for many workers
Traffic within the closure of the #M56 between J6 to J8 westbound is in the process of being released past the scene. There is approximately 5 miles of traffic to clear so it may take some time before all traffic is released. Thank you for your patience. pic.twitter.com/t79Eq65ejL
We now have official confirmation from Cheshire Police that four vehicles - two HGVs and two cars - were involed in the crash
"At 6.23am today, Thursday 2 December, police were called to reports of a collision on the M56 westbound between junctions 6 (Manchester Airport) and 7 (Bowden)," an official statement said.
"Officers attended the scene and found the collision involved four vehicles – an HGV, a red Suzuki Swift, a white Iveco HGV and a silver Ford Mondeo. One of the vehicles was on fire as a result of the incident – the fire has since been extinguished.
"There are no reports of any injuries, but the westbound carriageway is currently closed and motorists are advised to avoid the area."
It appears traffic is now being allowed through 'via lane two', according to traffic monitoring service Inrix.
Its 8:12am alert said: "M56 Westbound closed, queueing traffic due to earlier lorry fire between J6 A538 Hale Road (Hale Four Seasons Roundabout) and J7 A556 Chester Road (Bowdon).
"Congestion to J3 (Baguley). Also seeing delays on the opposite side due to onlookers. In the roadworks area.
"Trapped traffic is now being allowed past the scene via lane two and the contraflow has also been cleared, this was after an accident involving a car and a lorry resulting in the lorry catching fire."
If you're in the traffic within the closure plans are being made to get you released as soon as possible. Please bear with us. Thanks for your patience. @manairport Please see link for further details. https://t.co/1vhNAwVb0A pic.twitter.com/Nx4kOb1UMV
This is the latest congestion map for the M56 and parts of the M60 - it's showing huge issues across the area.
As a reminder, a dotted area is where there is a closure in place, black is where traffic is stationary, and red is severe congestion.
As you can see, a huge swathe of the M56 is not moving, with severe congestion on the M60, back to Stockport.
Belle Vue Buses has warned there could be knock-on delays to their services this morning due to the congestion.
M56 is chocker this morning guys. Please bare with us due to traffic delays. All services are running and left the depot on time though. Thank you
Officials at the scene are setting up a a contraflow lane on the eastbound side, a spokesperson for North West Motorway Police has said.
"It was closed while the service were putting out the fire," a spokesperson said. "It will be moving very, very shortly.
"Highways England are just sorting out the issues with a contraflow lane, [but] it is 'avoid the area' at the minute as it is very, very heavy [traffic].
"ONe lane will go westbound on the other side."
The authority in charge of our region's transport has provided a summary of the incident thus far.
UPDATE @HighwaysNWEST have implemented an emergency diversion due to the ongoing incident on the M56 Westbound https://t.co/9ISDwDUU2r #TfGMTraffichttps://t.co/OZ4omYx0St
Highways North West's most recent update is now advising commuters to expect 45 minutes of delays.
A diversion has been put in place to route traffic around this incident, Highways North West have said.
An update on its website said: "The M56 in Cheshire is closed westbound between J6 and J8 due to a multi-vehicle collision which has resulted in a vehicle fire.
"Cheshire Fire & Rescue and North West Motorway Police Group are on scene.
"Road users are advised to follow the Hollow Square diversion signs. "
You can find the full list of directions for the diversion here.
Here's the latest information we have from North West Motorway Police - advising commuters of delays this morning.
The Manchester Evening News has contacted both police and ambulance services for more information.
The M56 WB is currently blocked between junctions 6 & 7 due to an RTC where one of the vehicles has caught fire. fire brigade are on scene and Highways England & ourselves are also attending. Expect delays if this is your commute this morning. pic.twitter.com/Rk4GFmZkKN
Another map for you now - with a refreshed persepective, you can see the extent of congestion in the area.
The dotted area is where the road is closed - and it appears to now extend beyond junction 7.
Traffic is not moving up to junction 5 on the M56, with severe congestion on the eastbound side, and A556.
There are also smaller delays on the M60, to J27 in Stockport.
The latest data from National Highways shows the extent of the congestion in the area.
On the map below, black areas are where cars are not moving, with red representing severe congestion.
As a reminder, the westbound carriageway is closed between junctions 6 and 7.
Traffic monitoring service Inrix is reporting that a lorry is on fire in this incident.
Its latest alert said: "M56 Westbound blocked, stationary traffic due to lorry fire between J6 A538 Hale Road (Hale Four Seasons Roundabout) and J7 A556 Chester Road (Bowdon).
"Congestion to J5 (Manchester Airport).
"Also seeing delays on the opposite side due to onlookers. In the roadworks area. Traffic stopped just before 06:40 after an accident involving a car and a lorry resulting in the lorry catching fire."