THE aftermath of the security alert which closed the M6 in Lancashire and devastated the transport system was still being felt today.

Lorries gridlocked during the bomb scare were arriving at their destinations more than 12 hours late.

The alert caused chaos as streams of traffic were cleared from the M6 between junctions 25 and 29 and diverted along alternative routes after police received a coded warning.

There were major traffic snarl-ups across the area as roads around Chorley, Leyland and Preston became full of motorists seeking a quick exit from the chaos.

Lancashire police eventually reopened the M6 at 12.45pm after an extensive search by bomb squad officers failed to find any suspect devices.

Beverley Eatough, operations supervisor at Gilbraith's Tankers, Blackburn Road, Clayton-le-Moors, said many of its lorries were stuck in the chaos. She said: "We had about 70 vehicles out on the road and many were on the M6 when police began to clear it.

"Several got stuck on A-roads in the Ormskirk area.

"Our vehicles have to go to Runcorn to the main loading depot. They then have to get on the M6 to get to their destinations which are mainly in Scotland and the North-East."

"Some had been due to arrive last night but they would not have arrived until this morning."

A spokesman for Blackburn Coachlines said two of its London-bound coaches were rerouted via the M1, adding extra miles to their journeys.

A special incident room was set up at Lancashire police's Hutton headquarters. And, in a joint operation with Greater Manchester police, a co-ordinated search of motorway bridges began.

Assistant Chief Constable Tarique Ghaffur, who headed the operation, said today: "Obviously in incidents of this nature, the safety and security of the public is paramount.

"We appreciate the massive inconvenience caused to the travelling public, particularly those unfortunate drivers caught up in the traffic jams and we do thank them for their patience.

"Incidents like these cause problems and obviously we want to try to avoid them.

"We would like to remind everybody to be vigilant and to report anything suspicious."

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