Chaos after death crash horror on M1
‘Slow down’ plea as downpours lash Britain
A FATAL crash and two other pileups caused chaos on the M1 motorway over the festive period, prompting calls for drivers to slow down as rain sweeps the country.
A woman died at the scene following the first crash – a three-car smash at around 11.15pm on Christmas Eve.
A stretch of the northbound carriageway between junctions 11a and 12, just north of Luton, Bedfordshire, was closed but was opened Christmas Day morning.
Hours later, an air ambulance was called to a two-car collision between J10 and J9 southbound to treat one person who was seriously injured. Traffic was halted in both directions.
And yesterday morning, at around 10.30am – two hours after the M1 had fully re-opened northbound – it was closed again following a three-car crash.
The AA urged drivers to slow down in the wake of torrential downpours. President again
Edmund King said: “Some of the conditions have been treacherous.
“Many rural roads in the south, while still passable, have large puddles of water on the sides. Drivers need to slow down.”
The Environment Agency warned of a risk of flooding in parts of southern and central England over the next few days.
A Met Office spokesman said a band of rain moving across the country will ensure that “pretty much everywhere” will see some wet weather today though temperatures will be mild. For those aiming to avoid chaos on the roads and get away on the rail system, chiefs warned that 386 engineering projects are being carried out over the festive period.
London King’s Cross, London Liverpool Street and Ashford International services are among the worst hit.
And South Western Railway is operating barely half its trains to and from London Waterloo due to a monthlong strike by RMT members.