COMMUTERS were left stranded for two-and-a-half hours after a lorry overturned on the M66.

The accident, which happened at 6.45am yesterday near junction one at Edenfeld, left the wagon blocking both northbound lanes, the hard shoulder, and one lane heading south.

The driver was unhurt, but was taken to North Manchester General Hospital as a precaution.

Both directions of the motorway were closed until the afternoon while recovery of the Smurfit Kappa lorry took place.

Motorist Bill Wilson, 40, who was on his way to Burnley, said: “I hate these situations because we have no idea what really happened and how long we have to stay sitting here. You would have thought someone might come and tell us when they think we will be on the move again.

“The problem with this road is that if there is even a small accident, it backs cars up for miles and leaves us waiting half the day.”

About 30 yards of safety barrier in the central reservation was damaged by the lorry, which was fully loaded with cardboard.

Gill Hardman, 23, travelling to Blackburn, was also caught up in the queues. She said: “I was supposed to be in town at 8am, but I’m going to end up being almost three hours late.

“The waiting is one thing, but I hate it when people get out of their cars to relieve themselves on the side of the road.

“I saw two men climbing the bank and walking onto the bridge, so another accident could easily have happened.”

Cars trapped directly behind the incident eventually started moving at 9.30am after being turned around by police to use junction one. Some were also able to use the hard shoulder to run cars past the scene.

A Highways Agency spokesman said: “The incident caused queueing traffic in both directions of the motorway and officers worked to free up traffic trapped behind the lorry and set up diversions. Engineers will remove the obstacle and repair a 30-yard section of the damaged central reservation.”

The lorry owners, Dublin-based Smurfit Kappa, were unavailable for comment. The M66 reopened completely at 4.25pm.