This is the reason why Lancashire's motorway and road network ground to a halt this morning

Lancashire Constabulary were forced to close the M6 in both directions between junction 30 and junction 31A at around 5:10am.

The motorway remained shut for three hours, causing rush hour traffic to spill onto A roads and B roads to find alternative routes to work.

Officers confirmed that they were responding to a call about concern for a person's safety when they took the decision to close the M6.

They also closed Longridge Road in both directions while they dealt with the situation.

Thousands of commuters were trapped in the gridlock on the M6 itself, which caused similar queues on the M55.

Roads in and around Preston struggled to cope with congestion as motorists tried to find alternative routes to work.

Police re-opened the M6 at around 8am, but it was hours before the tailbacks cleared fully.