Drivers urged to exercise caution after Lancashire's roads see more than 75 crashes in one day

Police responded to 76 collisions on Saturday, 57 of which occurred before 6pm.

Fortunately, they were either damage-only incidents or resulted in minor injuries.

Officers pointed out that “many of these collisions were caused by drivers failing to negotiate the sudden change in weather conditions”.

Emergency services were called to an eight-vehicle pile-up on the M61 southbound, and just two minutes later, a six-vehicle crash was reported on the northbound side.

Seven minutes later, another driver lost control on the entry slip road to junction 9 (Clayton Brook), leaving them facing the wrong way in a live lane.

Join our new WhatsApp Community to get the latest news and top stories from across Lancashire directly to your phone

On the M65, a car crashed into the central reservation and was also left stranded in a live lane.

The A56 saw two near-simultaneous collisions on opposite sides of the carriageway in the Rising Bridge area.

On the M6, between junctions 29 and 30, a vehicle skidded on the ice, leading to a three-car collision.

Get the latest headlines, straight to your inbox, with The LEP’s free emails

At junction 28, a car hit the central reservation in the slushy conditions before hitting another car.

The subsequent chain reaction saw several more cars collide as drivers attempted to avoid the wreckage.

A spokesman for Lancashire Police said: “You may wonder why we’re telling you about these damage only, or minor injury collisions.

Get the latest headlines, straight to your inbox, with The Gazette’s free emails

“Well, we wanted to use this time, and these examples to highlight the importance of driving safely and adapting your driving style in the winter weather.”

Officers provided these top tips:

• If the Matrix boards are indicating a problem ahead, slow down – even if you can’t see the hazard ahead of you.
• Consider the winter weather and remember that the conditions can change really quickly when it is cold, so make sure your vehicle is safe to travel in all weathers.
• Adapt your driving to suit the weather. Make sure you’re staying within the speed limit and slow down in bad conditions like snow and ice.
• If you spot someone driving dangerously, or putting other road users in danger, if a crime is ongoing, or if someone needs immediate emergency service assistance on the roads, call 999.