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Shocking new photos of scene after lorry plummets off M6 Thelwall Viaduct

Remarkably, the driver was rescued.

Daisy Jackson Daisy Jackson - 1st October 2024

A new photo has been released showing the shocking scenes on the M6 last night, where an HGV fell from the Thelwall Viaduct.

The lorry plummeted from the bridge near Warrington, landing upside-down on the embankment below.

Remarkably, the driver of the vehicle did not sustain any life-threatening injuries.

The accident occurred shortly after 6.50pm on Monday 30 September, when the region was getting battered with heavy rain and a Met Office weather warning was in place.

Emergency services who attended the scene found that a lorry had come off the carriageway of the M6, along the Thelwall Viaduct between junction 20 and 21.

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Three lanes of the M6 were closed last night due to ‘serious damage’ caused to the barrier.

And this afternoon National Highways has confirmed that the repairs to the barrier are already complete following the shocking collision.

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In photos: the scene where the lorry fell from the Thelwall Viaduct on the M6
In photos: the scene where the lorry fell from the Thelwall Viaduct on the M6
In photos: the scene where the lorry fell from the Thelwall Viaduct on the M6
In photos: the scene where the lorry fell from the Thelwall Viaduct on the M6
In photos: the scene where the lorry fell from the Thelwall Viaduct on the M6
In photos: the scene where the lorry fell from the Thelwall Viaduct on the M6. Credit: Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service

The HGV is being recovered along local roads, and the M6 has been fully reopened, albeit with some delays.

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said firefighters used rescue equipment to lower themselves down to the lorry driver below the M6.

Crews also used water to cool the HGV and bunding to contain a leak of approximately 220 gallons (1,000 litres) of bio-diesel from the vehicle’s fuel tanks.

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Featured image: National Highways

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Manchester residents urged to have their say on want they want the Council to invest in next year

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant Manchester skyline

Residents in Manchester are being urged to have their say on what they want to Council to invest in next year.

Manchester City Council has this week launched a consultation for its upcoming 2026/7 budget, and is asking the people of Manchester what their priorities are for investment in services in the new year.

For those who hadn’t heard, the Government is introducing fairer funding for Councils, which recognises that areas with more challenges need more money – Manchester being one of them – and although final details of the Council’s financial settlement will not be received until later this month, it does mean that it’s anticipated there’ll be more funding available than previously expected. 

As well as protecting vital frontline services with the upcoming budget, the Council says it will also have some scope to invest in ‘making Manchester better’.

Whether this would be improving street cleaning services, supporting youth services and community groups, extending library opening hours, or a variety of other services, the Council says it’s aiming to build on the strong progress made in recent years.

While extra funding will make ‘a very real difference’, the Council says it still has a duty to plan carefully and ensure its impacts are maximised. 

Ongoing value for money and service transformation measures will work to reduce and avoid costs, as it ‘makes sense’ to do this anyway – but crucially, every pound saved will be reinvested in services.  

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Manchester residents are being urged to have their say on want they want the Council to invest in next year / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)

“How we allocate budgets for our services has long been guided by what Manchester people have told us about their priorities for themselves, their families and friends, their neighbourhoods and their city,” explained Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, who is the Executive Member for Finance at Manchester City Council.

“As we begin to build back, restoring some of the things which had to be cut previously and looking to the future, we need to hear people’s views again.

“These will shape the final package of proposals for 2026/27.”

Council Leader Bev Craig added: “Crucially, the fact that we will get a three-year financial settlement from Government rather than year-by-year settlements as has previously been the case, means we can plan ahead with real confidence.”

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Want to take part in the consultation? The consultation is now live and runs until 5pm on 28 January 2026. You can either find out more and complete it online here, or paper copies of the consultation are also available in libraries across the city.

Featured Image – Josh Taylor (via Unsplash)

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A Manchester-based runner has broken an ultramarathon record by running across the desert

Danny Jones Danny Jones Manchester runner Alex Welch breaks Namib Desert Ultramarathon record

Greater Manchester has a growing obsession with running and endurance events, in particular, did you hear about a locally based runner who’s set the record for legging it across a literal desert?

That’s some ‘Hardest Geezer’ stuff right there.

Yes, whether it’s the likes of the Great MCR Run and October Half, the fully fledged Manchester Marathon, or dare we say it, an extra hard ultra, the region seems to be absolutely chock-full of runners and events these days.

That being said, despite being inspired by countless individuals over the past few years, the feat that has impressed us most this year is the incredible achievement by one man: Alex Welch from Wilmslow.

alex welch ultra marathon runner
We’re pretty sure this is the bloke The Pretenders must have been talking about.

Based right here in 0161, by day Alex Welch is employed as a senior cyber security sales specialist at a major European IT services company, SCC, over in Stretford.

However, by both day and night for a full working week late last month, the 29-year-old swapped his computers for a very sturdy pair of running trainers; trail shoes, to be specific, as he trekked across the Namib Desert in Africa.

Stretching more than 2,000 kilometres in total, spanning the reaches of Angola, Namibia and parts of South Africa, the talented distance runner ran approximately 12.5% of that entire landmass over the course of five days.

Broken up into five stages – 50km, 50k, 42k and 22k, as well as a truly brutal 92k day to finish – not only did the indefinable Cheshire-born bloke reach the finish line, but he did so in record time.

Let’s be honest, anyone challenging themselves with the course is clearly an absolute machine, but as seen above and now fully verified, Alex here did so in 24 hours and 27 minutes.

Taking just over a day to complete the entire thing, Alex led every beating everyone else in every single stage and ended up surpassing legendary American ultra runner and now race director Adam Kimble’s time from 2018 by almost 40 whole minutes. Utterly staggering stuff.

Signing up as an official OOSH-sponsored athlete for the event, having only just podiumed at the Ice Ultra round the Arctic Circle back in February, AND the Mountain Ultra across Kyrgyzstan this past June, he’s quite literally ‘endured blistering cold and scorching desert’ (one for Shrek 2 fans, there).

Commenting on the unbelievable achievement, the local lad said: “Namibia was unlike anything I’d ever experienced. The heat was on another level, and every stage demanded absolute focus. To come away with the win – and a course record – is overwhelming.

“After the Arctic and Kyrgyzstan, this was the challenge I had been building towards all season. I’m grateful for everyone who has supported me, particularly my colleagues at SCC who have backed me every step of the way.”

Well done, Alex – we’re off to have a lie down because we’re tired just thinking about what you’ve just done, so hope you’ve at least got a few weeks of relaxation and victory pints lined up. That’s how we toasted our taste of an ultra, anyway…

The Manchester 24 Hour Run raises over £70,000 for the region’s homeless community
Ultra-running is not for the faint-hearted.

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Featured Images — Publicity pictures (supplied)

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