M6 stopped traffic J16–J17 northbound

Stopped traffic on the M6 northbound at J16–J17 on Tuesday 3 November 2026, from 15:57. Cleared at 16:58 after 1 h 1 min. Timeline of reports from TomTom, the motorway signs and National Highways.

Status

Cleared 16:58 on 3 Nov 2026, after 1 h 1 min

Location

M6 northbound · J16–J17

Reported as

Broken-down vehicle

Lanes

1 of 3 lanes closed

At its worst

Stationary traffic · delay ~23 min

Sources

TomTom ×2 · Motorway signs ×2 · National Highways ×4

Timeline

1. 15:57 Motorway signs: “STRANDED VEHICLE”
2. 16:07 TomTom: queueing traffic, “Queuing traffic”, delay ~5 min
3. 16:12 TomTom: now says broken-down vehicle, delay now ~10 min (was ~5), “Stationary traffic, Broken down vehicle”
4. 16:21 Motorway signs: “REPORT OF OBSTRUCTION”
5. 16:22 National Highways: 1 of 3 lanes closed
6. 16:25 TomTom: delay now ~23 min (was ~15)
7. 16:30 TomTom no longer reports it
8. 16:34 TomTom: broken-down vehicle, “Stationary traffic, Broken down vehicle”, delay ~21 min (reported again)
9. 16:39 TomTom: now says queueing traffic, delay now ~13 min (was ~21), “Queuing traffic”
10. 16:44 TomTom: queueing traffic, “Queuing traffic”, delay ~10 min
11. 16:48 TomTom: “Slow traffic”
12. 16:53 TomTom no longer reports it
13. 16:57 Motorway signs no longer show “REPORT OF OBSTRUCTION”
14. 16:57 Motorway signs no longer show “STRANDED VEHICLE”
15. 16:58 National Highways: lane closure lifted
16. 16:58 All clear: no source reports it any more

Source reports

• Queuing traffic
• Overhead signs read “REPORT OF OBSTRUCTION” (1 sign; furthest along: M6 southbound between J17 and J16).
• Overhead signs read “STRANDED VEHICLE” (2 signs; furthest along: M6 northbound between J16 and J17).
• Slow traffic
• M6 northbound between J16 and J17

Other recent incidents on the M6

• M6 stopped traffic J20A15:30 · Live
• M6 crash J15–J16 northbound15:07 · cleared after 1 h 20 min
• M6 crash J19–J1814:31 · cleared after 27 min
• M6 crash J28–J2707:38 · cleared after 2 h 18 min
• M6 stopped traffic J21A07:01 · cleared after 2 h 26 min
• M6 stopped traffic J806:16 · cleared after 3 h 58 min
• M6 crash J18–J19 northbound03:54 · cleared after 6 h 32 min
• M6 reported crash J16–J15 southboundyesterday 13:25 · cleared after 56 min
• M6 stopped traffic J6–J7 northboundyesterday 11:58 · cleared after 2 h 22 min
• M6 crash J18–J19 southboundyesterday 11:12 · cleared after 59 min

Live traffic and past incidents at M6 J16 and M6 J17.

The sources don't report causes or injuries, so neither does this page. Times are UK time. For alerts, follow @motorways.me on Bluesky.