A serious four-vehicle collision has shut the M66 in Greater Manchester, causing the southbound carriageway to close between Junction 1 (Ramsbottom) and Junction 2 (Bury) on Sunday night. The incident was first reported just after 10:30 PM, and emergency services remain at the scene.
National Highways confirmed the southbound closure to manage the crash, with Greater Manchester Police leading the response and conducting on-site collision investigations. Because Junction 1’s layout doesn’t provide a suitable southbound exit slip, officials are directing traffic off at the A56 Edenfield junction to ease bottlenecks and maintain safety.
Diversions have been posted. Motorists are advised to follow the hollow square signs and the described route: leave the A56 southbound at the A56/A676 roundabout, take the second exit onto the A56 eastbound (Wood Lane) for about 0.6 km, turn right at the A56 (Wood Lane)/A56 (Whalley Road) junction onto the A56 southbound (Whalley Road) for roughly 7.9 km, then turn left onto the A58 Rochdale Road eastbound at the A58 (Derby Way)/Rochdale Road junction and continue for about 1.4 km, finally taking the fourth exit at the A58/M66 Junction 2 roundabout to rejoin the M66 southbound.
Authorities indicated that four vehicles were involved in the crash. As of late evening, there was no confirmed reopening time for the southbound lane, and traffic remained held during incident management. Inrix reported the closure extending from the A56 (Ramsbottom Junction) to the A58 Rochdale Road (Bury). The situation is being monitored with updates provided as they become available, and drivers should consider alternate routes until the scene is cleared.
