M1 Traffic Chaos as Snow and Lorry Crash Paralyse Key Motorway
Right now, one of Britain’s busiest motorways has effectively ground to a halt, and it’s causing a ripple of disruption far beyond the road itself. The M1, a vital north–south artery linking the Midlands with northern England, has been severely impacted after a lorry crash combined with heavy snowfall swept across the region.
What happened is a classic case of bad timing meeting bad weather. In the early hours of the morning, a lorry was involved in a crash on the northbound M1 between junctions 28 and 29, near Mansfield and Chesterfield. Normally, an overnight incident like this might be cleared before the morning rush. But overnight snow, brought in by Storm Goretti, settled quickly on the carriageway, especially in the closed lanes. That made recovery work slower and more complicated, and by the time commuters began their journeys, three of the four lanes were still shut.
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This stretch of the M1 is critical for commuters, freight drivers, and anyone travelling between major cities. With most lanes closed, traffic has been funnelled into a single lane, creating long tailbacks and delays of up to half an hour or more. Some drivers have found themselves crawling for miles, while others have been stuck completely stationary as emergency services and recovery crews work in difficult conditions.
The reason this is trending now is not just the crash itself, but the wider knock-on effect across the East Midlands. Snow has already forced school closures, disrupted bus and rail services, and even caused temporary runway closures at East Midlands Airport. The M1 disruption has added another layer to an already challenging morning, amplifying frustration for commuters and concern for local authorities trying to keep essential routes moving.
The potential impact is significant. Delays on the M1 don’t stay local; they spill onto surrounding A-roads as drivers try to divert, putting pressure on smaller routes not designed for heavy traffic. Freight delays can affect deliveries across the country, and businesses relying on just-in-time transport are particularly vulnerable. There’s also the safety factor, with stop-start traffic and icy conditions increasing the risk of further accidents.
For now, recovery crews are battling both the wreckage and the weather, working to clear snow and reopen lanes as soon as it’s safe. Until that happens, the M1 remains a stark reminder of how quickly winter conditions can bring the UK’s transport network to a standstill. As the day goes on, the focus will stay firmly on clearing the road and restoring some sense of normality after a chaotic start.
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