Watch more of our videos on Shots!
and live on Freeview channel 276

Traffic was stopped on the M1 near Wakefield during the early hours after a vehicle drove the wrong way down the motorway.

The vehicle had failed to stop for West Yorkshire Police officers in the moments before it went onto the northbound carriageway at junction 40. It travelled in the wrong direction towards junction 39 and was abandoned by the occupants a short time later.

Posting on Twitter at 3.35am on Thursday, National Highways Yorkshire warned drivers that northbound traffic had been stopped. It said it was the result of a Roads Policing Unit “pursuit” of a vehicle traveling the wrong way down the motorway, adding: “The vehicle has been successfully stopped but traffic remains held for the safety of officers at scene.”

Delays of up to 20 minutes were reported before all but one lane was reopened, with the remaining lane brought back into use shortly before 4.10am.

Traffic was stopped on the M1 northbound after a vehicle drove the wrong way down the carriageway. Picture: Google

A West Yorkshire Police spokesperson confirmed the vehicle involved had earlier failed to stop for officers but said there was pursuit on the motorway itself. They said: “Around 4am this morning, a vehicle failed to stop for road policing officers on patrol near to Ossett bypass, Wakefield. The vehicle drove in the wrong direction, on to the M1 junction 40 on the northbound carriageway travelling south towards 39 and was abandoned a short time later.”

M1 police incident near Wakefield halts traffic as car drives wrong way down motorway