HUNDREDS of motorists were brought to a standstill in thick fog on Christmas Eve after a 26-car pile-up on the M62 brought traffic chaos to parts of the North West.

Seven people were injured, one seriously, when the accident occurred just after 10pm on Saturday on the eastbound carriageway of the motorway between junctions 11 and 12 near Warrington.

Four people were taken to Hope Hospital, Salford, with chest, abdominal, neck and shoulder injuries, and three were treated at Warrington Hospital for chest and abdominal injuries. Last night, they had all been discharged apart from the one seriously injured woman, who remains in intensive care. A Hope Hospital spokesman said that her condition was stable.

An off-duty nurse from Trafford Hospital was caught up in the accident and tended to the casualties in the early stages before paramedics arrived. Several walking wounded were also treated at the scene.

The fog is thought to have been a main element in the cause of the crash. Inspector Philip Haworth, of Greater Manchester Police, said: “Certainly the weather was a factor but we don’t know the exact cause at this stage.”

Earlier that day a 25-year-old man, driving to his parents’ home in Dorset, died when he lost control of his car on a country road and hit a tree. A large section of the B3082 near Wimborne was closed for most of the morning as police carried out an examination.

In Gloucester yesterday, an 18-year-old man was killed in a crash near his home. The youth was a passenger in a car that overturned. The male driver of the car and a female passenger are being treated for their injuries.

Explore UK News

• Crime News

• Education News

• Health News

• Scotland News

Times Recommends

• What makes the perfect mum?
• To keep me stress-free, no more awareness days, please
• What do lottery winners buy?