A 70 tonne crane has broken down on the M62 and it’s expected to cause delays all morning.

Highways Yorkshire say the crane broke down at 6.45am on Tuesday morning on the hard shoulder of the M62 eastbound, a section used for driving.

It caused delays, initially between Junction 26 and Junction 27 where it broke down, but by 8am the congestion was back to Junction 24 at Ainley Top.

It meant delays of around 45 minutes for drivers to get past the scene of the crane, with speeds reduced due to Highways officers at the scene to assist.

Highways Yorkshire say the broken down crane weights 70 tonnes and specialist recovery is en-route.

They said: “We have also requested recovery and a local company is also en-route to see if they can assist to get the crane moved.”

The scene of the break down is between J26 M606 / A58 Whitehall Road / A638 Bradford Road (Chain Bar) and J27 M621 / A650 / A62 (Gildersome),

Lane one (of four) is closed.

Highways Yorkshire say it will be mid-morning before the crane can be removed and traffic returned to normal.

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By 9.45am Highways officials said the crane had been moved to an emergency refuge area and would soon move, although it will take some time for the congestion to clear.