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There are delays on the M62 after it was closed when horses were spotted near the carriageway.

Highways England said they had been forced to shut the motorway as a precaution as there was some missing fencing and horses had been seen near the road.

They closed the motorway eastbound between junction 24 and junction 25.

Traffic appeared to be stationary on the westbound carriage approaching Ainley Top for a while.

Cameras also showed the eastbound carriageway completely empty.

It is not known how long the motorway will be closed for but a spokesman for Highways England said delays were already at 30 minutes.

RECAP of events

Here’s a summary of what’s been happening on the M62 today:

  • Highways England closed the eastbound entry sliproad at junction 24 at Ainley Top following reports that horses had gotten onto the road
  • On arriving at the scene, they decided to close the stretch of carriageway as a safety precaution as the horses may have gotten onto the motorway
  • Tailbacks quickly formed on both sides of the motorway, although eased on the westbound carriage after about an hour
  • Police and the RSPCA helped with the operation and to locate where the animals came from
  • The horses were found and the road was re-opened at about 11.20am
  • They are now said to be back in their field, probably recounting their exciting adventure to the rest of their horse mates
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All clear on the eastbound carriage

Things looking much clearer already - what a difference an hour makes!

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Motorists tweet of M62 agony

That’s life as a motorist in West Yorkshire for you, Tom.

Graham has also provided this tactful and helpful solution to the problem...I don’t think this would go down well with the RSPCA.

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Two-and-a-half hour delays!

Motorists have hit out at the delays saying they were stuck in traffic for two-and-a-half hours because of the horses...

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WATCH: Eerie sight as eastbound carriage completely empty

Reporter Robert Sutcliffe shot this footage earlier of the eastbound carriage completely empty. Traffic is now starting to move.

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"Horses returned to field"

I think that’s enough adventures for one day, horses...

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Road has re-opened

We’ve just been informed that the road has re-opened eastbound. Tailbacks are currently back about ten miles onto Saddleworth Moor so don’t expect to be moving straight away. Or should I say, straight a-neigh.

Here’s what it looks like eastbound at Scammonden Bridge.

Delays on M62 eastbound after horses spotted on the road
Delays on M62 eastbound after horses spotted on the road
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Search in place for where horses came from

Highways England say they are trying to establish where the horses came from and how they got onto the road.

Spokesman James Wright said: “We’re looking into where the horses came from.

“It looks like they’ve got got onto the road from a local farm and got onto the local roads then somehow wandered onto the sliproad. We are making enquiries in the area.

“In the meantime we have diversions in place for people travelling eastbound.”

Note: This is not the escaped horse....

West Yorkshire Police's horse with no name
(Image: @WestYorkshirePolice/Twitter)
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WATCH: Tailbacks on M62 after eastbound carriage closes

Here is some footage our reporter Stephanie Finnegan captured on dashcam after getting stuck in the westbound tailbacks earlier. These have now cleared but traffic still stationary eastbound as authorities deal with the situation.

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Tailbacks towards Saddleworth Moor on the M62 eastbound

Traffic is now moving but still very busy heading westbound - but tailbacks eastbound where the road has closed are back to Saddleworth Moor.

Do not use the motorway if you are heading towards Huddersfield/West Yorkshire this morning as there are likely to be there for some time.

Here is the traffic as shown on Google Traffic maps...

Tailbacks on M62 after horses get onto the road
Tailbacks on M62 after horses get onto the road
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Police and RSPCA assisting with removing horses from the road

Here is our statement from Highways England.

Spokesman James Wright said:

“We do have an ongoing incident on this stretch of motorway.

“We’ve got some horses which have been loose on the sliproad since about 9am. Police and the RSPCA are on the scene to help assist us.

“Because there is no barrier between the slip road and the carriageway, the whole section has been shut as a safety precaution.”

RSPCA
RSPCA (Image: RSPCA)
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Reports of delays up to 30 minutes as teams move horses from the road

We have a statement from Highways England who have confirmed that they are working to get horses off the road.

They say that the stretch between Ainley Top and Brighouse has been closed as precaution - the horses were spotted on the entry sliproad at junction 24 but there are no barriers between the sliproad and carriageway so they could have escaped onto the main motorway.

Tailbacks are back past Brighouse westbound and towards junction 23 eastbound.

Motorists have delays of about half an hour. Our reporter Stephanie is stuck in the traffic westbound near Brighouse and said engines were off and people were getting out of their vehicles, although in the past few minutes has started moving again.

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Welcome to our live blog

Welcome to our live updates on the closure on the M62 eastbound.

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