Football on the M6: Stranded motorists unite for kickabout on closed motorway

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.

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.

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.

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.

The road reopened just before 2am.