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Drivers are facing 'severe delays' on the M61 motorway this afternoon (October 27) after a crash. The southbound side of the motorway was fully blocked earlier due to the accident between junction eight for Chorley and junction six for Horwich. According to traffic alert service Inrix, traffic now can pass the scene. The southbound side of the motorway remains blocked though with two lanes closed. Join the Manchester Evening News WhatsApp group HERE There are long delays of almost two hours and 10 mile queues up to the scene. National Highways said: "Lanes 2 and 3 (of 3) are closed on the #M61 southbound between J8 (#Chorley) and J6 (#Middlebrook) due to a collision. There is currently approx. 10 miles of congestion on approach, causing delays of 110 minutes above usual journey times." The closure on the M61 comes amid a closure nearby on the M6 motorway following a fatal crash. The southbound side of the M6 remains closed from junction 28 for Leyland to junction 27 for Standish following the collision on Sunday evening. The northbound side has been reopened after a number of lanes were shut for hours overnight. Lancashire Police said a car was 'travelling down the wrong way' on the motorway before it crashed into another vehicle. A man aged in his 50s sadly died on the scene. Two other men, aged in their 40s, were rushed to hospital with serious injuries.
