Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Cup chaos as M6 shut after ‘27 migrants jump off lorry’
Hundreds of fans miss big game
FRUSTRATED football fans were caught up in gridlock chaos last night after police closed part of the M6 motorway in a “major incident”.
One man was arrested after a group of 27 people fled from the back of a lorry that had been stopped between junctions 15 and 16 near Keele, Staffs.
Fans heading to Manchester City’s Carabao Cup clash with Burton Albion endured delays as they tried to make the 7.45pm kick-off.
One supporter posted on Twitter: “I am a City fan who is stuck on the M6 with lots of other Burton and City fans around. This is a big occasion that can’t be missed, something must be done.”
And a Burton fan said an hour before kick-off: “Half of Burton on Trent still on the M6. Haven’t moved in an hour!”
However, police and officials decided not to move the kick-off time, meaning many missed the match all-together.
Witnesses said some of those who fled the lorry were being treated by medics at the side of the road. Motorist Danny Ellis said he saw 30 to 40 police cars pass him on the northbound side of the motorway and said three or four lorries were stopped and searched.
He said: “We could only see the lorries being chased down and stopped... We were told, for safety, to get back in our cars and lock them. We were told a lot of people escaped and ran from the back of these lorries.”
Police were called over concerns about the “welfare of people travelling on the motorway”. Both carriageways were shut, causing huge tailbacks.
Witness Martin Kavanagh said he saw people being put into ambulances and one lying on the hard shoulder.
Staffs Police said they were, “assessing the welfare of the people who exited the vehicle and we will be liaising with Immigration Enforcement”.