Greater Manchester Police confirmed the man, 50, died at Birch services near Heywood following a medical episode that saw emergency services called to the scene
A man has tragically died following a medical emergency on a Moto service station, forcing the location to shut down and causing traffic jams earlier this morning.
Emergency services rushed to Birch services, on the M62 eastbound near Heywood, Greater Manchester, at 10.05am this morning.
Greater Manchester Police confirmed that a 50-year-old man had suffered a suspected heart attack in his car. Sadly, he was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Manchester Evening News reported that the man’s loved ones have been notified of his death, and are being supported by specialist officers.
Access to the Moto service station was temporarily closed off from the M62 eastbound this morning as emergency services attended the scene.
The slip road was reopened around midday today. Moto has been contacted for a statement.
The brief delay on the M62 this morning followed a night of chaos on the major motorway, with motorists left delayed for hours after severe weather caused localised flooding.
The poor conditions, which followed Met Office warnings for severe wind and rain, saw a lane closed on the motorway near Huddersfield, and traffic built along the artery’s westbound stretch.
Traffic England marked the incident as “severe” on its monitoring site, and people were warned by forecasters to take additional precautions on the slippery roads, with other motorways, including the M56, M6 and M61 all impacted by the conditions.
In its yellow warning for the Midlands and northern England, which includes the affected stretch of the M62, the Met Office urged people to check conditions before they go out.
The agency warned: “Give yourself the best chance of avoiding delays by checking road conditions if driving, or bus and train timetables, amending your travel plans if necessary.”
Weather warnings for both severe rain and wind expired early this morning, at around 3am, but conditions remained tricky to navigate in some parts of the country as earlier chaos cleared.