Stranded motorists ended up playing football on the M6 after the road was shut in both directions for almost five hours.
Police made the decision to close the motorway on Tuesday evening as they talked to a man who was on the wrong side of bridge railings above junction 7.
#M6 J7 #Walsall #Birmingham. Traffic is currently held in both directions whilst @CMPG deal with an incident. Please allow extra time for your journey or seek an alternative route if possible. pic.twitter.com/WXNwFcCs4b
— Highways England (@HighwaysWMIDS) September 4, 2018
West Midlands Police had specialist officers at the scene to help the man, and apologised to motorists affected by the incident.
But British resolve kicked in with people getting creative about how to fill the time.
For a group of firefighters from North Wales, they simply got the football out of the car to have a kickabout.
Standard game of football on the M6 #bored pic.twitter.com/6Kj0zhuewX
— Hugh Jones (@grumpydwarf1) September 4, 2018
They had been on their way back from a five-a-side competition in Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire.
“We were on our way back, got stuck at around 8pm and were reversed down the carriageway and on to the other side of motorway about midnight, got home at 2pm after leaving Moreton at 7pm,” Hugh Jones told the Press Association.
“We were bored so got the ball out of the boot and starting passing it back and to, then more and more people came out of their cars, lasted about 20 minutes till someone accidentally kicked it over the fence.”
Elsewhere people were sharing what snacks they had between vehicles.
3 hours and still at a stand still… If anyone needs food or drinks i have a crate of water, apple juice & pepsi along with biscuits, sweets, fruit etc… happy to share. #m6 #M6Traffic
— Daniella (@DaniellaLaverty) September 4, 2018
If Anyone On #m6 South Near The Front Of the Queue (J7) Has A Spare Bottle Of Water For My Dog It Would Be Much Appreciated? #m6
— Lau Smith (@_lauxsmith_) September 4, 2018
A “kind trucker” responded to a request to help get some water to a dog.
West Midlands Police explained the decision to shut the road was due to public safety.
1/2 We’re currently assisting a man standing on the wrong side of the bridge railings above junction 7 of the #M6. Specialist officers are at the scene trying to resolve the matter safely. There are significant traffic delays.
— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) September 4, 2018
2/2 We apologise for this inconvenience, however the safety of the public is paramount. We continue to advise drivers to use alternative routes in the meantime. #M6
— West Midlands Police (@WMPolice) September 4, 2018
The road reopened just before 2am.
The M6 at J7 has been closed for a number of hours as our crisis negotiators, @ResponseWMP & @CMPG worked together to bring a male in crisis to safety. Thankfully this has been safely resolved and the motorway is now open. pic.twitter.com/dMnfstNvUo
— Ch Insp Jack Hadley (@JackHadleyWMP) September 4, 2018
