M56 closed for woman’s safety

THE M56 motorway was closed in both directions after concerns were raised over the safety of a woman who was seen on a bridge.

At around 12.30am on Monday, August 9, officers responded to reports of a concern for the safety of a woman on a bridge on the M56 eastbound, near Runcorn.

Police swiftly attended the scene and spoke with the woman who was then taken to hospital.

While police dealt with the incident, both carriageways were closed near Runcorn.

Shortly before 1am, North West Motorway Police tweeted that “both carriageways on M56 are being closed”.

The tweet said that this was “due to a police incident”.

Live cameras showed that traffic was queueing.

In a tweet at around 1.30am, North West Motorway Police said that closures on M56 both carriageways had now been lifted.