M56 | Cheshire | Carriageway Closure | Expect Delays

Incident timeline

1. 00:01, 17 AugFirst report

   The M56 in Cheshire is closed eastbound between J7 near (Bowdon) and J6 near (Hale) due to a serious collision.

2. 00:11, 17 AugUpdate

   The M56 in Cheshire is closed eastbound between J7 near (Bowdon) and J6 near (Hale) due to a serious collision.

3. 00:41, 17 AugUpdate

   ⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 40 minutes. Delays of 30 minutes still recorded. Monitoring continues.

4. 00:46, 17 AugUpdate

   The M56 in Cheshire is closed eastbound between J7 near (Bowdon) and J6 near (Hale) due to a serious collision.

5. 01:21, 17 AugUpdate

   ⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 1h 20m. Delays of 30 minutes still recorded. Monitoring continues.

6. 01:26, 17 AugUpdate

   The M56 in Cheshire is closed eastbound between J7 near (Bowdon) and J6 near (Hale) due to a serious collision.

7. 01:56, 17 AugUpdate

   ⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 1h 55m. Delays of 30 minutes still recorded. Monitoring continues.

8. 02:01, 17 AugUpdate

   The M56 in Cheshire is closed eastbound between J7 near (Bowdon) and J6 near (Hale) due to a serious collision.

9. 02:31, 17 AugUpdate

   ⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 2h 30m. Delays of 30 minutes still recorded. Monitoring continues.

10. 02:36, 17 AugUpdate

    The M56 in Cheshire is closed eastbound between J7 near (Bowdon) and J6 near (Hale) due to a serious collision.

11. 03:11, 17 AugUpdate

    ⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 3h 10m. Delays of 30 minutes still recorded. Monitoring continues.

12. 03:16, 17 AugUpdate

    The M56 in Cheshire is closed eastbound between J7 near (Bowdon) and J6 near (Hale) due to a serious collision.

13. 03:46, 17 AugUpdate

    ⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 3h 45m. Delays of 30 minutes still recorded. Monitoring continues.

14. 03:51, 17 AugUpdate

    The M56 in Cheshire is closed eastbound between J7 near (Bowdon) and J6 near (Hale) due to a serious collision.

15. 04:21, 17 AugUpdate

    ⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 4h 20m. Delays of 30 minutes still recorded. Monitoring continues.

16. 04:26, 17 AugUpdate

    The M56 in Cheshire is closed eastbound between J7 near (Bowdon) and J6 near (Hale) due to a serious collision.

17. 04:31, 17 AugUpdate

    ✅ Incident cleared — M56 reopened at 04:31 on 17 Aug 2026. Total disruption: 4h 30m. All lanes open, traffic returning to normal.

18. 16:53, 6 NovFinal update

    The M56 in Cheshire is closed eastbound between J7 near (Bowdon) and J6 near (Hale) due to a serious collision.

Wording from National Highways, recorded as it changed.

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