UPDATE: M1 info board climber delays hundreds of thousands of motorists

The M1 southbound remains closed for the second day, causing delays of up to an hour as police continue to take control of an incident.
By The Newsroom
Published 13th Jun 2016, 15:13 BST
Updated 13th Jun 2016, 16:18 BST
Congestion hits the A42 as hundreds of thousands of vehicles are diverted form a closed stretch of the M1 Southbound. (Image: Highways England).Congestion hits the A42 as hundreds of thousands of vehicles are diverted form a closed stretch of the M1 Southbound. (Image: Highways England).
Congestion hits the A42 as hundreds of thousands of vehicles are diverted form a closed stretch of the M1 Southbound. (Image: Highways England).

And police have issued a comment expressing remorse for the 'frustrating' circumstances which they say have affected hundreds of thousands of drivers over the past two days.

"The enforced closure of the M1 southbound between junctions 23a and 22 unfortunately remains in place this afternoon," officers said.

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"Police took the decision to close the carriageways after a man scaled a ladder yesterday lunchtime and climbed into the stanchion over the southbound carriageways."

Traffic follows the route to the A42 at Junction 23 and there is expected to be substantial congestion when Rush Hour hits.Traffic follows the route to the A42 at Junction 23 and there is expected to be substantial congestion when Rush Hour hits.
Traffic follows the route to the A42 at Junction 23 and there is expected to be substantial congestion when Rush Hour hits.

The northbound carriageway has remained open throughout but traffic is heavy.

Assistant Chief Constable Phil Kay of Leicestershire Police said: “I appreciate that this remains an extremely frustrating situation for the many hundreds of thousands of motorists who have inevitably been caught up as a result of this road closure and its knock on effects on all the other major routes in the midlands region and beyond.

“I have the greatest of sympathy with everyone whose plans and daily activities have been affected but our primary responsibility is the safety of the man himself, my own officers at the scene, and all road users, and we cannot do anything that compromises their safety.

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“We have been working hard since yesterday lunchtime to resolve this situation and our efforts continue this afternoon to persuade the man to come down safely. We are exploring a range of different options involving other agencies but we cannot and will not reopen the road until our aim has been achieved.

M1 Southbound near junction 24a (Image: Traffic England).M1 Southbound near junction 24a (Image: Traffic England).
M1 Southbound near junction 24a (Image: Traffic England).

“While diversions have been in place since yesterday lunchtime it is inevitable that those alternative routes have themselves become highly congested.

“We are doing everything we can to bring this situation to a safe conclusion as swiftly as possible but I am afraid at this stage the southbound carriageway must remain closed.”

Chief Superintendent David Sandall added: “We have trained police officers communicating with the man in order to reach a safe conclusion but this may take some time. We will continue to keep the public updated and will of course reopen the road as soon as possible.”

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Police continue to divert traffic with long delays, expected to be up to an hour in some cases, across the A42 and M42 to the M6, and rejoin the M1 at junction 19.

Officers were called to the scene just after midday yesterday (Sunday, June12) after concerns were raised for the welfare of the man.

Police said it is expected to be resolved this afternoon. Check back for updates before traveling.

Related topics:Police