0:00:02 > 0:00:04232 miles of road,
0:00:04 > 0:00:09carrying over 40 million vehicles a year, the M6 is the longest
0:00:09 > 0:00:12and one of the busiest motorways in Britain.
0:00:12 > 0:00:1624/7, 365, the M6 is solid,
0:00:16 > 0:00:18every day of the year.
0:00:18 > 0:00:21Outside Birmingham, it meets four other motorways,
0:00:21 > 0:00:25and keeping them running is a constant battle
0:00:25 > 0:00:26for time and resources.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29There are 101 different jobs on this motorway,
0:00:29 > 0:00:32yet not one motorist is aware of what we do.
0:00:33 > 0:00:39A hidden army of men and women work day and night...
0:00:39 > 0:00:41Have you ever lay down on the M6? I have.
0:00:41 > 0:00:44And I've played football on the M25.
0:00:44 > 0:00:45HE LAUGHS
0:00:45 > 0:00:47..whatever the weather.
0:00:47 > 0:00:51On the M5, you'll find your money, on the M50 you'll find the porn.
0:00:53 > 0:00:56Every day, they set out to control the chaos...
0:00:56 > 0:00:58Wait there!
0:00:58 > 0:01:00Jesus!
0:01:00 > 0:01:03..and to help us when things go wrong.
0:01:03 > 0:01:052-1, can I have an ambo, please?
0:01:05 > 0:01:07Trying, at all costs...
0:01:07 > 0:01:09Oh!
0:01:09 > 0:01:11..to keep Britain on the move.
0:01:11 > 0:01:16Oh, God, please. Oh, I think my tyre's blown.
0:01:16 > 0:01:18They should call it the Mad 6 instead of the M6.
0:01:18 > 0:01:20HE LAUGHS
0:01:20 > 0:01:26This programme contains some scenes which some viewers may find upsetting
0:01:26 > 0:01:32SAT NAV: In 100 yards at junction 15, turn left onto the M6.
0:01:32 > 0:01:35Turn left and then to the motorway.
0:01:38 > 0:01:41Are we on the motorway again now, Seb?
0:01:41 > 0:01:43- No.- We are.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46We are, look how fast everybody's going.
0:01:46 > 0:01:48Why sit in the middle lane?
0:01:48 > 0:01:51They're not overtaking anything.
0:01:51 > 0:01:53Look at her, just sat there like a moron.
0:01:54 > 0:01:56Slows my journey down.
0:02:02 > 0:02:04RADIO CHATTER
0:02:07 > 0:02:11This is the Highways Agency's West Midlands regional control centre.
0:02:11 > 0:02:16Overseeing nearly 700 miles of Britain's fastest roads.
0:02:17 > 0:02:21Just watching some police vehicles going through at warp speed.
0:02:21 > 0:02:23Whoa.
0:02:23 > 0:02:25Thank you, Kel.
0:02:25 > 0:02:28The staff here are responsible for keeping the motorway traffic
0:02:28 > 0:02:32running at high speed, and for spotting trouble ahead.
0:02:33 > 0:02:38Yeah, from CCTV now, lane three, we've got a wheel at that location.
0:02:38 > 0:02:40There's his caravan.
0:02:40 > 0:02:41Yeah, just further to this,
0:02:41 > 0:02:43there is a caravan in live lane on the slip road.
0:02:43 > 0:02:46Appears to be the offending vehicle that's lost the wheel.
0:02:46 > 0:02:51The caravan wheel poses a big risk to the speeding vehicles.
0:02:51 > 0:02:54I've got a lane-three signal on to advice members of the public
0:02:54 > 0:02:56to stay out of lane three.
0:02:56 > 0:02:58That's a blind bend, effectively.
0:02:58 > 0:03:01If someone hits that, it's going to cause a secondary accident.
0:03:01 > 0:03:03Receiving, thanks. Just to advise,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05they're not taking much notice of the lane-three closure.
0:03:06 > 0:03:10We have got reports of a person in the carriageway.
0:03:11 > 0:03:15The motorist looks like he's going to attempt to clear it himself.
0:03:18 > 0:03:21Is there a telephone number for the caravan driver?
0:03:26 > 0:03:28He's gone into the carriageway.
0:03:29 > 0:03:31Yeah, he's crossing the carriageway.
0:03:31 > 0:03:33Alpha Whisky Mike 1-3,
0:03:33 > 0:03:37you've got a male in the carriageway collecting this wheel.
0:03:38 > 0:03:40He's retrieved it...
0:03:43 > 0:03:46Obviously, on safety grounds, I wouldn't recommend that people
0:03:46 > 0:03:49go to get their personal belongings from a live carriageway
0:03:49 > 0:03:52with traffic travelling at 70mph.
0:03:55 > 0:03:56I wouldn't do it.
0:03:58 > 0:04:02It only takes one motorist to do something daft.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Only takes one person to be going a bit too quickly
0:04:04 > 0:04:07and then you'll get the whole system, you know,
0:04:07 > 0:04:09in that area, snarled up.
0:04:11 > 0:04:14On the northbound M5, between junctions 2 and the incident,
0:04:14 > 0:04:18there's over 3km of congestion.
0:04:18 > 0:04:21A prosperous society depends upon our roads,
0:04:21 > 0:04:23so there's a purpose to them,
0:04:23 > 0:04:27there's a reason behind the way they are designed and built
0:04:27 > 0:04:30and, ultimately, it's about getting people from A to B
0:04:30 > 0:04:31as quickly as possible.
0:04:38 > 0:04:43More than 40 million drivers use the M6 every year,
0:04:43 > 0:04:46all trying to reach their destination by the fastest route.
0:04:49 > 0:04:50I like motorway driving,
0:04:50 > 0:04:53cos you can test the limits of the car, you can really,
0:04:53 > 0:04:55sort of, put your foot down, and because it's a fast car,
0:04:55 > 0:04:57you can drive fast.
0:05:00 > 0:05:02Families on day trips
0:05:02 > 0:05:05jockey with salesmen driving up to 1,000 miles a week...
0:05:05 > 0:05:08Look at this idiot here.
0:05:08 > 0:05:10On his phone!
0:05:12 > 0:05:16..lorries carrying everything from nappies to environmental waste.
0:05:16 > 0:05:20It's a vast business, the...the motorway.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24Everything on each lorry is money.
0:05:24 > 0:05:26If we're not there on delivery on time,
0:05:26 > 0:05:29it just brings the whole lot to a stop.
0:05:29 > 0:05:32It's estimated that the cost to the British economy
0:05:32 > 0:05:37of stopping this road is almost £200,000 an hour.
0:05:37 > 0:05:40If we all have moving traffic, we're all happy.
0:05:47 > 0:05:49Drew, you OK for a handover?
0:05:50 > 0:05:54Duty operations manager Steve Bird is responsible for overseeing
0:05:54 > 0:05:59a team of 49 operators working around the clock.
0:05:59 > 0:06:02The only thing that's going to impact this afternoon which you should make
0:06:02 > 0:06:05sure the late shift are aware of is the Beyonce concert at the O2 Arena.
0:06:05 > 0:06:09- Yeah, yeah, yeah. - Super. All right, Drew. Thank you.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13The Highways Agency staff have 450 CCTV cameras
0:06:13 > 0:06:16and are constantly on the lookout for anything that could bring
0:06:16 > 0:06:18the motorway to a stop.
0:06:18 > 0:06:21You can very quickly get an idea of what's going on
0:06:21 > 0:06:25by the activity in the room, the transmissions over the radio.
0:06:25 > 0:06:29So, you can tell, when you walk in the room what's going on, generally.
0:06:31 > 0:06:32..1-2.
0:06:32 > 0:06:34That's all noted, thank you.
0:06:34 > 0:06:37Everything's routine, noise levels, activity levels,
0:06:37 > 0:06:41and everything's telling me that we're in a good place at the moment.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45Oh, that doesn't look good.
0:06:45 > 0:06:49I can see it, mate, I can set it but the signals are red-boxed.
0:06:50 > 0:06:53It's a broke-down HGV that just hasn't managed to
0:06:53 > 0:06:56get onto the hard shoulder, he's got his backside sticking out.
0:06:56 > 0:06:59It's M6, junction 3.
0:06:59 > 0:07:02By the sounds of it, it's possibly just a mechanical breakdown
0:07:02 > 0:07:04of the HGV, OK.
0:07:04 > 0:07:06I mean, it's unconfirmed yet, but I don't know
0:07:06 > 0:07:09until they arrive again what the update is.
0:07:11 > 0:07:13Whisky Mike 4-3,
0:07:13 > 0:07:17be able to take a live-lane breakdown at junction 3 of Bravo M6.
0:07:17 > 0:07:20I've got a vehicle protruding into lane one, over.
0:07:20 > 0:07:23Yeah, copy that, do we know what this vehicle is, over?
0:07:23 > 0:07:25It's a HGV, over.
0:07:27 > 0:07:30The stranded lorry is already delaying vehicles
0:07:30 > 0:07:32heading south towards Birmingham.
0:07:34 > 0:07:37Traffic officers Steph and Dean are part of a national team
0:07:37 > 0:07:40of over 1,000 Highways Agency officers.
0:07:40 > 0:07:44They need to move the lorry quickly before the problem escalates.
0:07:44 > 0:07:48Out of his eight wheels, seven of them are on the hard shoulder
0:07:48 > 0:07:51but there's still, probably, five tonnes of metal sat in lane one,
0:07:51 > 0:07:54so...not something that you want to be running into, to be honest.
0:07:54 > 0:07:56Yeah, it's the priority to get it moved.
0:08:02 > 0:08:04Right, if we try and drag it, will it...? Is it loaded?
0:08:04 > 0:08:07It's fully loaded, I don't think you'll shift it with that.
0:08:08 > 0:08:11The lorry's brakes have locked on.
0:08:11 > 0:08:13While they wait for a recovery service
0:08:13 > 0:08:16Steph and Dean have no choice but to close the lane.
0:08:24 > 0:08:26Yeah, it's still doing full motorway speed.
0:08:31 > 0:08:34Alpha Whisky Mike 4-3, lane one is in place, over.
0:08:34 > 0:08:36All that stands between the speeding traffic,
0:08:36 > 0:08:41and the stationary truck are 12 50cm-high traffic cones.
0:08:41 > 0:08:44I was going to say, it pigging stinks, doesn't it?
0:08:45 > 0:08:48That is full of sewage.
0:08:48 > 0:08:50SHE LAUGHS
0:08:50 > 0:08:52Is it human sewage?
0:08:52 > 0:08:54Really?!
0:08:54 > 0:08:56It's human sewage!
0:08:56 > 0:08:57SHE LAUGHS
0:08:57 > 0:09:00It's awful. It's a bit shit, isn't it?
0:09:00 > 0:09:02SHE LAUGHS
0:09:09 > 0:09:12Dean calls the lorry operator to let them know that unless their
0:09:12 > 0:09:16breakdown service arrives quickly, the Highways Agency will have
0:09:16 > 0:09:17to recover the vehicle...
0:09:17 > 0:09:19All right, don't swear at me.
0:09:19 > 0:09:21..and charge them £350.
0:09:21 > 0:09:23Have you finished shouting?
0:09:24 > 0:09:26Yeah, all right, OK.
0:09:28 > 0:09:31If you're telling me they're coming, that's fine,
0:09:31 > 0:09:32but we have a lot of people...
0:09:32 > 0:09:34Will you let me fin...?
0:09:37 > 0:09:39If yours...if yours is en route...
0:09:39 > 0:09:42Right, have you finished shouting and swearing at me?
0:09:45 > 0:09:47TYRES SQUEAL
0:09:47 > 0:09:50HORNS BLARE
0:09:56 > 0:10:01Excellent. They're not paying the blindest bit of attention.
0:10:01 > 0:10:05I tell you what, mate, we've coned it all out, we've shut lane one,
0:10:05 > 0:10:08but we've just nearly had it struck.
0:10:08 > 0:10:10Get over...now.
0:10:17 > 0:10:20Eek, eek, eek, eek, eek!
0:10:27 > 0:10:30'It looks as though that is recovery.'
0:10:30 > 0:10:32Yeah, recovery's just arrived now,
0:10:32 > 0:10:36so, erm, took about 50 minutes, in total, for his recovery.
0:10:36 > 0:10:40So, we aim to, sort of, do it within 45 minutes to an hour
0:10:40 > 0:10:41for a vehicle of that size.
0:10:41 > 0:10:44How long? How long's it going to be?
0:10:44 > 0:10:47He says he'll just drag it off now, a couple of minutes,
0:10:47 > 0:10:49and then he'll do the rest on the shoulder.
0:10:49 > 0:10:53Oh, OK. That's mad, isn't it?
0:10:53 > 0:10:55That was close.
0:11:01 > 0:11:04On Britain's motorways, nearly half of all cars are exceeding
0:11:04 > 0:11:07the 70mph speed limit.
0:11:09 > 0:11:13I've never had a speeding ticket. Never go over 100.
0:11:15 > 0:11:18INDICATOR TICKS
0:11:18 > 0:11:19Too fast.
0:11:22 > 0:11:24I get annoyed...
0:11:24 > 0:11:26when...
0:11:26 > 0:11:28I'm doing the speed limit
0:11:28 > 0:11:33and somebody comes right up the back of me, wanting ME to go faster.
0:11:35 > 0:11:38Wow, let's go fast.
0:11:38 > 0:11:40We are going fast, aren't we?
0:11:40 > 0:11:43No, we're not.
0:11:43 > 0:11:45We're not going fast.
0:11:47 > 0:11:50Millions of vehicles a year driving at high speed
0:11:50 > 0:11:53take their toll on the motorway infrastructure.
0:11:56 > 0:11:59Keeping the system running at this pace
0:11:59 > 0:12:02requires round-the-clock attention from an army of workmen.
0:12:05 > 0:12:10And there is one problem that takes more of their energy than any other.
0:12:10 > 0:12:12Lovely pothole.
0:12:12 > 0:12:16Across the thousands of square miles of tarmac, there are hundreds
0:12:16 > 0:12:21of potholes...waiting for Steve Taylor to detect them.
0:12:21 > 0:12:23Another good day for it, Jed.
0:12:25 > 0:12:29The travelling public don't really know what I do.
0:12:29 > 0:12:32All they see is a motorway- maintenance vehicle
0:12:32 > 0:12:33with two blokes sat in it.
0:12:36 > 0:12:39I spend most of my working life in this vehicle.
0:12:39 > 0:12:42I start as soon as we enter the motorway,
0:12:42 > 0:12:45turn the survey button on, we then turn around,
0:12:45 > 0:12:50if I come across a pothole, I then, literally, push a pothole button.
0:12:50 > 0:12:53HE COUGHS
0:12:56 > 0:13:00I'm sure, within a few minutes, all the potholes will start coming in.
0:13:02 > 0:13:06Steve, chauffeured by his driver, Jed, conducts his search
0:13:06 > 0:13:10for potholes three days a week at a steady 50mph.
0:13:12 > 0:13:13You know...
0:13:14 > 0:13:17..182...
0:13:17 > 0:13:22it gets sent to the national control centre.
0:13:22 > 0:13:23PHONE RINGS
0:13:23 > 0:13:26Coming in now, this is Steve Taylor.
0:13:27 > 0:13:32Yeah, control, I'm currently on the Western Arms southbound on the M6.
0:13:32 > 0:13:35I've come across a reoccurring pothole.
0:13:35 > 0:13:37OK, we'll get that logged
0:13:37 > 0:13:40and assign it, too. Is it an immediate job?
0:13:40 > 0:13:42Yes, yes.
0:13:42 > 0:13:45The last thing you want is a vehicle hitting a pothole
0:13:45 > 0:13:47or hitting any debris or anything like that,
0:13:47 > 0:13:51because from one little pothole comes a major incident.
0:13:51 > 0:13:53It's a strong responsibility...
0:13:53 > 0:13:55first link of a chain.
0:13:59 > 0:14:041-2, just confirming that you're up and ready and on the network, over.
0:14:04 > 0:14:07We'll be there in about five, ten minutes, max, over.
0:14:07 > 0:14:09Yeah, that's all received.
0:14:09 > 0:14:12Come on, then, let's get some work done.
0:14:12 > 0:14:16But potholes can't be tackled in high-speed traffic.
0:14:18 > 0:14:23- Yeah, we'd like a rolling road block for pothole M6...- Yeah...
0:14:23 > 0:14:26- ..southbound.- OK.- Thank you.
0:14:26 > 0:14:29Amey, the motorway maintenance company,
0:14:29 > 0:14:31can only carry out these repairs
0:14:31 > 0:14:34if the Highways Agency are prepared to bring the motorway to a halt.
0:14:34 > 0:14:37Don't want to stop it at all, to be honest,
0:14:37 > 0:14:41but sometimes we have no option, and we have to go ahead and do that.
0:14:41 > 0:14:44If we have vehicles that are breaking down because
0:14:44 > 0:14:46they're hitting potholes and it's causing punctures,
0:14:46 > 0:14:49we've got no choice but to go ahead.
0:14:49 > 0:14:512-1, we've got a pothole,
0:14:51 > 0:14:54rolling roadblock needed, if you can switch to channel two.
0:14:54 > 0:14:572-2, thank you, block on from junction 9,
0:14:57 > 0:15:01I'll let you know when we've got control.
0:15:02 > 0:15:04Traffic officers Frank and Steve
0:15:04 > 0:15:08are responsible for slowing the motorway drivers down.
0:15:12 > 0:15:15Right, all alpha crews, rolling block in place.
0:15:17 > 0:15:20As far as you can see, I'm looking in my rear-view mirror,
0:15:20 > 0:15:23and I've got a tail of cars now, a tailback.
0:15:23 > 0:15:25They soon build up.
0:15:25 > 0:15:28It's always best to keep the traffic moving if you can at a
0:15:28 > 0:15:31very, very slow speed, instead of putting it to a stop.
0:15:31 > 0:15:33If you've got to stop it, you've got to stop it,
0:15:33 > 0:15:34and there's no way round it.
0:15:45 > 0:15:48We won't keep you too long, they're just filling a pothole in, OK?
0:15:51 > 0:15:54# What's that coming over the hill, is it a monster? #
0:15:54 > 0:15:57No, it's a rolling block.
0:15:57 > 0:16:01We have a lot of traffic now, as you can see from the camera,
0:16:01 > 0:16:06that is now going back just under 2km.
0:16:06 > 0:16:08So, hoping they release it shortly.
0:16:10 > 0:16:13Don't want to hold the traffic up for too long, do you?
0:16:13 > 0:16:14If it's too long,
0:16:14 > 0:16:17they'll keep on asking, "How long, how long?"
0:16:17 > 0:16:21It takes as long as it takes, doesn't it? You know what I mean?
0:16:22 > 0:16:28Traffic has now been stopped for...three minutes.
0:16:28 > 0:16:30With all of that traffic staring at you,
0:16:30 > 0:16:32I think you would feel the pressure, yeah.
0:16:43 > 0:16:47It's a go-fast world. There is no getting away from it,
0:16:47 > 0:16:48it's a go-fast world.
0:16:48 > 0:16:53And we...are just stuck right in the middle of it.
0:16:55 > 0:16:57We try to please the general public by keeping
0:16:57 > 0:17:01the maintenance of the motorways down to a minimum.
0:17:01 > 0:17:03Five minutes out of your day is not a lot.
0:17:04 > 0:17:07Yeah, we've completed this pothole now,
0:17:07 > 0:17:09you can let the block go. Many thanks.
0:17:09 > 0:17:11All received, thank you.
0:17:13 > 0:17:15Everybody's in a rush nowadays.
0:17:15 > 0:17:20There's that many irate drivers, it's ridiculous.
0:17:20 > 0:17:22Was it you had the yoghurt over you?
0:17:22 > 0:17:24Yeah. I had just done one and they
0:17:24 > 0:17:27just threw a yogurt, a full yogurt pot
0:17:27 > 0:17:31out the car, and it hit me. Didn't know what had hit me, man.
0:17:31 > 0:17:36I was just covered in yogurt, all because we repaired something!
0:17:36 > 0:17:39Didn't taste nice, I think it was natural yogurt,
0:17:39 > 0:17:42it weren't even strawberry or nothing, man.
0:17:48 > 0:17:51I think people now want to get from point A to point B
0:17:51 > 0:17:53as quick as they can, and they're not bothered about
0:17:53 > 0:17:55who they upset or anything else.
0:17:57 > 0:18:00This is Frank's 23rd year on the motorway.
0:18:00 > 0:18:02He joined the Highways Agency
0:18:02 > 0:18:05after 15 years with the motorway police.
0:18:05 > 0:18:09I remember the motorway when it opened in 1972.
0:18:09 > 0:18:12- Can't have been as busy then, can it?- Wasn't, no.
0:18:12 > 0:18:14- Used to finish at junction 9 and that used to be it.- Right.
0:18:14 > 0:18:17Finish at junction 7, and then they put the bit in the middle.
0:18:17 > 0:18:20So you've seen huge changes then, haven't you?
0:18:20 > 0:18:23Just the horse and carts got in the way a bit!
0:18:23 > 0:18:27- No, I'm not quite old age just yet. - But he's got his bus pass.
0:18:27 > 0:18:29Seven months yet...before I'm an old man.
0:18:36 > 0:18:40The Highways Agency staff work 365 days a year.
0:18:41 > 0:18:43Three, two...
0:18:43 > 0:18:44- I got it!- I knew you would.
0:18:48 > 0:18:51"What do you get if you cross a skeleton and a detective?"
0:18:51 > 0:18:53- I'm not sure. - "Sherlock Bones."
0:18:53 > 0:18:56- HE LAUGHS - There you go, you like that one.
0:18:56 > 0:18:58Go ahead, 2-2.
0:18:58 > 0:19:00It's early on Boxing Day,
0:19:00 > 0:19:04which is often a troublesome day for the agency.
0:19:04 > 0:19:08In the past, thousands of shoppers heading for the Boxing Day sales
0:19:08 > 0:19:11have caused such big queues that junction 9
0:19:11 > 0:19:13on the M6 has had to be closed.
0:19:13 > 0:19:16If you go historically, you've always got a
0:19:16 > 0:19:19considerable amount of congestion at junction 9.
0:19:19 > 0:19:21They're all heading...
0:19:21 > 0:19:24in particular, just to the two shops, which are Next and IKEA.
0:19:28 > 0:19:33Oh, look, they've started to park on the footpath already.
0:19:33 > 0:19:35It's only ten to eight.
0:19:37 > 0:19:41- Wow.- See, car park's already full.
0:19:41 > 0:19:44- I wonder what Currys is like. - Jesus Christ, look at this.
0:19:46 > 0:19:50'I don't understand the logic of opening at 5 o'clock in the morning.'
0:19:50 > 0:19:53Yeah, it's an environment that I wouldn't like to be in,
0:19:53 > 0:19:56a ferocious environment when people are there for X, Y and Z.
0:19:58 > 0:20:01Just checking to see if there is any congestion starting,
0:20:01 > 0:20:05because it's 20 past nine, and, at present, no, there's still none,
0:20:05 > 0:20:07still light traffic.
0:20:10 > 0:20:13Why is it not affecting the motorway at the moment?
0:20:17 > 0:20:18There's nothing happening
0:20:18 > 0:20:20- on the air at all, is there? - No, nothing at all.
0:20:20 > 0:20:23I thought my radio had gone dead or something.
0:20:23 > 0:20:26It's normally when you don't expect something that it all happens,
0:20:26 > 0:20:30so...it's fairly quiet.
0:20:30 > 0:20:32We prohibit the Q word,
0:20:32 > 0:20:37and the minute anybody unleashes the Q word, it all breaks out.
0:20:40 > 0:20:43Doesn't look any busier than when we went away before.
0:20:46 > 0:20:47Dear me.
0:20:57 > 0:20:59- Whoa... - Keep going, RTC there.
0:21:01 > 0:21:04Hotel Alpha Whisky... Other side.
0:21:04 > 0:21:07Whiskey Echo 2-1, priority.
0:21:07 > 0:21:10I want some... Got to get the debris...
0:21:10 > 0:21:12We've got an RTC on the M5 northbound,
0:21:12 > 0:21:15just prior to junction 1. We've got debris all over the place.
0:21:15 > 0:21:17- Whoa!- It's a cross-over, hang on. It's a cross-over.
0:21:18 > 0:21:21Give us some lights.
0:21:21 > 0:21:24Yeah, we've got a cross-over from southbound to northbound.
0:21:27 > 0:21:31OVER RADIO: ..'got you on camera...'
0:21:31 > 0:21:34INDISTINCT
0:21:34 > 0:21:41I've got it. 7-0-5-5, I think.
0:21:41 > 0:21:46We've got a cross-over on the M5, from 7-0-5-5, that's the camera.
0:21:46 > 0:21:50- CRACKLING:- '..1-1.' - 'Echo 1-1, go ahead.'
0:21:52 > 0:21:56Yeah, that's received, do you need ambulance at all? Over.
0:21:56 > 0:21:58I'm just on the northbound.
0:22:00 > 0:22:02Are you all right, darling?
0:22:02 > 0:22:062-1, can I have an ambo please, on the northbound?
0:22:06 > 0:22:09Person with a mouth injury.
0:22:09 > 0:22:11GIRL COUGHS
0:22:11 > 0:22:13The car has hit the central reservation,
0:22:13 > 0:22:16and the engine has ended up on the opposite carriageway.
0:22:16 > 0:22:18Yeah, facial injuries to her mouth, as well.
0:22:21 > 0:22:24It's over the other side, if you can just keep over there, please.
0:22:27 > 0:22:30The front there is severely damaged.
0:22:30 > 0:22:33The vehicle looks like it's ridden up the barrier here,
0:22:33 > 0:22:36and as it's done that it's obviously ripped everything out
0:22:36 > 0:22:39and the engine's...come out of it.
0:22:41 > 0:22:45I've never known that happen before. Very lucky.
0:22:47 > 0:22:50Frank's priority is to get the four blocked lanes clear
0:22:50 > 0:22:53and running as quickly as he can.
0:22:53 > 0:22:54HE EXHALES
0:23:02 > 0:23:04We've got the vehicle in lane one,
0:23:04 > 0:23:06and we've got a load of debris in lane three. Received.
0:23:08 > 0:23:12It's 9.30, and the Boxing Day traffic has begun to build.
0:23:14 > 0:23:17If I go back to this camera...
0:23:17 > 0:23:21as you can see, the congestion's back to the M6,
0:23:21 > 0:23:23and that is the congestion from the incident on the M5.
0:23:25 > 0:23:27No, it's not that hot.
0:23:27 > 0:23:32..till they get here, till they throw some of their cones.
0:23:32 > 0:23:34Fire on scene now, so we'll get it across
0:23:34 > 0:23:36to the hard shoulder before you know it.
0:23:41 > 0:23:43I was just in the middle lane coming round the bend,
0:23:43 > 0:23:46and then the car just started to swerve to the left,
0:23:46 > 0:23:48and there was like a lorry or a truck or something in that lane.
0:23:48 > 0:23:51And so I just tried to right myself,
0:23:51 > 0:23:53and I've just gone straight into the central reservation.
0:23:53 > 0:23:54SHE SNIFFS
0:23:54 > 0:23:57I'm glad that it's not a lot worse than it is.
0:23:58 > 0:24:00And where were you off to?
0:24:00 > 0:24:03Off to Nuneaton, it's a Boxing Day meal...
0:24:05 > 0:24:07- VOICE BREAKING:- ..which I'm obviously not going to get to now.
0:24:10 > 0:24:13Luckily, it's not a bad injury, and so,
0:24:13 > 0:24:17I think now it's the barrier damage that's going to be the key issue.
0:24:19 > 0:24:23It's virtually flat, so it may need to be replaced sooner
0:24:23 > 0:24:27rather than later, which could take three or four hours,
0:24:27 > 0:24:28that's an estimate.
0:24:30 > 0:24:32For safety, the motorway maintenance team
0:24:32 > 0:24:35decide the barrier must be repaired immediately.
0:24:36 > 0:24:39There is nothing else the Highways Agency can do
0:24:39 > 0:24:40but wait four hours while it's fixed.
0:24:43 > 0:24:45It's one of those things that we face every day when we come in,
0:24:45 > 0:24:49you think one thing's going to happen and the opposite does.
0:24:49 > 0:24:52Because we've got two lanes closed of what would normally be
0:24:52 > 0:24:57a three-lane carriageway, we've lost 66% of the capacity there,
0:24:57 > 0:25:03so that's having a huge impact for thousands of road users.
0:25:03 > 0:25:05They have to wait till everybody else gets through,
0:25:05 > 0:25:07there's nothing we can do.
0:25:07 > 0:25:10Our priority is this.
0:25:10 > 0:25:12You've got to have a smile, because life's too short,
0:25:12 > 0:25:14there's enough miserable people
0:25:14 > 0:25:16without us being miserable. Isn't there?
0:25:26 > 0:25:28SIREN WAILS
0:25:32 > 0:25:37Drivers on the M6 are monitored by the Central Motorway Police Group.
0:25:37 > 0:25:4096 officers form part of a specialised team,
0:25:40 > 0:25:43equipped to deal with trouble in a high-speed environment.
0:25:47 > 0:25:48Morning, all.
0:25:51 > 0:25:55Anybody want a doughnut now or shall I put them in the rest room?
0:25:55 > 0:25:59They're Tesco's finest, they're only little ones, you see.
0:25:59 > 0:26:00- Thank you.- I know.
0:26:00 > 0:26:03Viv Baldwin has been a volunteer here one day a week
0:26:03 > 0:26:08for the last five years, offering support for the frontline staff.
0:26:08 > 0:26:11- Look, I've got doughnuts! - I'm on a diet!
0:26:11 > 0:26:14I know. Come on, what you talking about? Have a doughnut and shut up.
0:26:14 > 0:26:17No, diet...
0:26:17 > 0:26:20- All right! That's quite sort of... - SHE LAUGHS
0:26:20 > 0:26:26She's just somebody, easy to talk to, and to bounce things off.
0:26:26 > 0:26:29I'm going to put these doughnuts away then.
0:26:29 > 0:26:32- She's fun to talk to. - Yeah. And she brings doughnuts!
0:26:32 > 0:26:34And she brings food.
0:26:34 > 0:26:36Which is obviously a bonus. Holy doughnuts.
0:26:36 > 0:26:40- See that? HOLEY doughnuts. - I like your style!
0:26:40 > 0:26:43You'll kill me when you fail your fitness test.
0:26:43 > 0:26:45Not my responsibility to look after their bodies,
0:26:45 > 0:26:47it's their souls I'm after.
0:26:48 > 0:26:51There's Martin, let's go and see him.
0:26:51 > 0:26:53That's it, that's OK.
0:26:53 > 0:26:59It's sort of on, more or less, it's not very comfortable.
0:26:59 > 0:27:01And that turns me into a vicar.
0:27:02 > 0:27:04Today's duties, first of all, Oscar Tango 2-1
0:27:04 > 0:27:07is going to be Tony and Kash please.
0:27:07 > 0:27:10- Oscar Tango 4-1, Viv, if that's OK? - That's fine.
0:27:10 > 0:27:13As you're going to be comms lady tonight. Just remind everybody about
0:27:13 > 0:27:16their responsibilities regarding driving, please, making sure we
0:27:16 > 0:27:18go home at the end of the night and the members of the public do,
0:27:18 > 0:27:20- as well.- To our families.- Excellent.
0:27:20 > 0:27:23- Viv, anything from yourself at all? - Do you want a prayer?
0:27:23 > 0:27:26Everybody happy with a prayer?
0:27:26 > 0:27:27OK, let's say a prayer then.
0:27:29 > 0:27:31Father, we thank you for all the work
0:27:31 > 0:27:33that's done on the motorway, for everyone who holds the
0:27:33 > 0:27:35motorway together and makes it work from end to end.
0:27:35 > 0:27:39We ask all this in Jesus' name. Amen.
0:27:39 > 0:27:41Thank you, Viv.
0:27:41 > 0:27:46It's a stressful and dehumanising job.
0:27:46 > 0:27:50- Viv, do you want to come in and obviously..?- Yep.
0:27:50 > 0:27:53They're dealing with all the worst stuff, and the police officers
0:27:53 > 0:27:55can just come in and talk about it, and don't have to worry
0:27:55 > 0:27:59about what they're saying, and they find that really, really helpful.
0:27:59 > 0:28:01I'm an independent listening ear,
0:28:01 > 0:28:03and I just hang about like a bad smell.
0:28:05 > 0:28:08Tonight, the grandmother and clergywoman
0:28:08 > 0:28:11is spending an evening with PC Dave Gaunt.
0:28:11 > 0:28:14They've just received an emergency call to stop the M6.
0:28:15 > 0:28:19OK, we're on the way to a girl that's on the bridge,
0:28:19 > 0:28:23she's on the right side of the railings at the minute, and just
0:28:23 > 0:28:27been tasked with going to shut the motorway at northbound just in case
0:28:27 > 0:28:33she does go up onto the bridge, onto the wrong side and try and jump.
0:28:33 > 0:28:35SIREN WAILS
0:28:38 > 0:28:42I mean, nobody's going to pass us right now at 110mph.
0:28:45 > 0:28:46120mph.
0:28:48 > 0:28:53I'm just thinking about this lady who's going to...
0:28:53 > 0:28:55Thinking about jumping.
0:28:55 > 0:28:58I just think, "How sad."
0:28:58 > 0:29:00SIREN STOPS AND HE HONKS HORN
0:29:04 > 0:29:06Closure's on northbound.
0:29:06 > 0:29:11There's somebody coming up lane three from the slipway.
0:29:11 > 0:29:13So that will stop.
0:29:13 > 0:29:15I heard she's on a bridge up there,
0:29:15 > 0:29:17just walking up the centre of the bridge.
0:29:17 > 0:29:19'I don't think anybody's bothered
0:29:19 > 0:29:22'to put a closure on the bridge, have they?'
0:29:22 > 0:29:26They've got her. They've got her. They've got her.
0:29:26 > 0:29:28INDISTINCT
0:29:33 > 0:29:364-4, do you know if we can release the traffic yet?
0:29:54 > 0:29:56- Lucky escape.- Yeah.
0:29:58 > 0:30:01How do you feel about those, Dave, cos, you know,
0:30:01 > 0:30:04I just get all worked up about the fact that this woman is all upset
0:30:04 > 0:30:07and wants to jump and we have to dive in and grab her.
0:30:07 > 0:30:10Well you are. I try and look...
0:30:10 > 0:30:12It's probably awful to think that...
0:30:12 > 0:30:15you're looking at it from the motorists' perspective.
0:30:15 > 0:30:18It's, like, people are probably wanting to be somewhere,
0:30:18 > 0:30:21you've just shut the motorway stopping them from moving,
0:30:21 > 0:30:23so you feel for them,
0:30:23 > 0:30:25because they're going to get held up.
0:30:26 > 0:30:29But you're also...you know, it's one of those,
0:30:29 > 0:30:31when you're on top of the bridge, at what point..?
0:30:31 > 0:30:34I know you saw the officers rushing towards her.
0:30:34 > 0:30:38Did somebody grab her or..? And then the others rushed... You know what I mean?
0:30:38 > 0:30:41It's, like, is it going to go pear shaped? Has he grabbed..?
0:30:41 > 0:30:43Got a good firm hold of her? Is she going to struggle?
0:30:43 > 0:30:46You know what I mean? It's lots of things - if you lunge for them,
0:30:46 > 0:30:49if you miss and they jump, you know, is that going to be your fault?
0:30:49 > 0:30:53It's lots of things going through your head.
0:31:15 > 0:31:18Yeah, what's going on here?
0:31:21 > 0:31:22Whoa, whoa, whoa.
0:31:25 > 0:31:30The motorway's a great road, but it can be an absolute nightmare,
0:31:30 > 0:31:33because if there is a hold up, you can't go nowhere else.
0:31:33 > 0:31:35Once you're stuck, you're stuck.
0:31:36 > 0:31:38You can understand why people get angry,
0:31:38 > 0:31:42and road rage and that frustration.
0:31:42 > 0:31:44That's time in my life I'll never get back.
0:31:54 > 0:31:56Never-ending.
0:31:56 > 0:31:58Oh he's going...
0:32:03 > 0:32:06Congestion caused by motorway closures
0:32:06 > 0:32:10cost the UK an estimated £1 billion a year.
0:32:10 > 0:32:13So small repairs need to be done quickly with minimum disruption.
0:32:17 > 0:32:19On a filter road just off the M6,
0:32:19 > 0:32:21a recurring pothole needs urgent attention.
0:32:23 > 0:32:25You get a motorcycle that hits that,
0:32:25 > 0:32:28and he could end up on another motorway if he hits there.
0:32:30 > 0:32:32Just going to cut out the square patch,
0:32:32 > 0:32:35go right down to the core and do it properly.
0:32:35 > 0:32:37To repair the large pothole,
0:32:37 > 0:32:41the Highways Agency will have to close one of the lanes.
0:32:41 > 0:32:44He said 30 to 45, but I'm saying 30 to an hour.
0:32:45 > 0:32:46When you've got two lanes
0:32:46 > 0:32:51and you've got to take a lane out on a busy section, it's...
0:32:51 > 0:32:55You get the traffic backing up and then we create more problems.
0:32:59 > 0:33:03At the moment, he's not having much problem.
0:33:03 > 0:33:07It's going to be in the next few hours when it starts building up.
0:33:17 > 0:33:20But, not long after the roadworks start,
0:33:20 > 0:33:22a bigger problem appears on the horizon.
0:33:22 > 0:33:27Abnormal load, taking up two lanes.
0:33:27 > 0:33:30If he goes onto the M5, we've got a lane closed there.
0:33:30 > 0:33:33Oh, no, don't go down there.
0:33:33 > 0:33:35Hello, mate, it's Highways Agency.
0:33:35 > 0:33:38Just got to let you know you've got an abnormal load
0:33:38 > 0:33:40coming down that arm. It's taking up two lanes.
0:33:41 > 0:33:44It's going to splat the cones everywhere, isn't it?
0:33:46 > 0:33:49He's going to go for it, isn't he?
0:33:49 > 0:33:52No chance, he's not going to get through.
0:33:53 > 0:33:57To get past the road workers repairing the potholes,
0:33:57 > 0:34:01the truck carrying the wide load slows down to a walking pace.
0:34:04 > 0:34:08He's close to that barrier. Ooh, well close to the barrier.
0:34:20 > 0:34:23That guy could have got there and had to have stopped,
0:34:23 > 0:34:25so then you've got the traffic behind him,
0:34:25 > 0:34:27which is stopped, as well.
0:34:27 > 0:34:30Now what he's caused is quite a fair tailback,
0:34:30 > 0:34:32now that'll go back onto the M6.
0:34:32 > 0:34:35You know, anything after three o'clock,
0:34:35 > 0:34:37you're going to get phenomenal traffic.
0:34:37 > 0:34:40You've got school runs coming out, you know,
0:34:40 > 0:34:42and this is going to go way back to junction 9 now.
0:34:44 > 0:34:46Just because of that abnormal load.
0:34:48 > 0:34:51The M6 and other motorways around the West Midlands
0:34:51 > 0:34:54cut through a conurbation of cities and towns.
0:34:57 > 0:35:01During peak hours, local traffic and commuters flow onto the network,
0:35:01 > 0:35:04rushing to and from work.
0:35:04 > 0:35:06Hoping for a nice, steady day,
0:35:06 > 0:35:10everybody being able to get away to where they need to go safely.
0:35:10 > 0:35:13Minimum delays, that's what I'm hoping for.
0:35:18 > 0:35:21Tony, come in 5-9-8-9,
0:35:21 > 0:35:24we've found an RTC approximately 198 over 6,
0:35:24 > 0:35:26in LBS three, received.
0:35:28 > 0:35:34'2-1 got reports of four-car RTC, junctions 10A to 10.'
0:35:34 > 0:35:36Thank you, we're just going.
0:35:36 > 0:35:38Oh, got another job.
0:35:38 > 0:35:43Traffic is now restricted to using two lanes instead of four.
0:35:43 > 0:35:47We've set the appropriate signals to close the two lanes behind the scene.
0:35:47 > 0:35:50It's a Thursday afternoon at five o'clock,
0:35:50 > 0:35:54it's extremely heavy congestion at the moment, anyway.
0:35:54 > 0:35:56The signal's up now so
0:35:56 > 0:35:58most of the public are paying attention to them
0:35:58 > 0:36:01and getting out the way.
0:36:01 > 0:36:04HORN BLARES
0:36:04 > 0:36:08He's oblivious, this guy is.
0:36:08 > 0:36:10There you go, well done.
0:36:15 > 0:36:17The congestion builds incredibly quickly.
0:36:17 > 0:36:19It's estimated a mile a minute,
0:36:19 > 0:36:23but I would say on the M6 there, it's probably faster than that.
0:36:28 > 0:36:34We've got a vehicle in lane four, it looks like it's just two cars.
0:36:34 > 0:36:37I would imagine the crew will attend the scene
0:36:37 > 0:36:40and they'll close lanes three and four.
0:36:42 > 0:36:44Yes, EMPG are just coming northbound.
0:36:44 > 0:36:46They're asking if we can actually stop the carriageway
0:36:46 > 0:36:49so then they can access via the exit slip.
0:36:49 > 0:36:51Yes, yes. You, stop.
0:36:56 > 0:36:59All received. All stopped.
0:36:59 > 0:37:03Frank has now brought the entire southbound M6 to a stand still.
0:37:05 > 0:37:10The decision to close the motorway, it's a huge decision,
0:37:10 > 0:37:11because we know
0:37:11 > 0:37:14that it's going to affect thousands and thousands of people.
0:37:14 > 0:37:18The cost of freight that's delayed, that might miss a time delivery.
0:37:18 > 0:37:21The cost of business meetings that are missed.
0:37:21 > 0:37:26The cost of people making their way to airports, ferry terminals,
0:37:26 > 0:37:31going on holiday and have to miss that flight or that ferry crossing.
0:37:31 > 0:37:35It's at the forefront of our mind that we have to get these incidents
0:37:35 > 0:37:36cleared as quickly as possible
0:37:36 > 0:37:39to get everything restored back to its normal way.
0:37:39 > 0:37:43We've now got approximately 9km of congestion
0:37:43 > 0:37:46on the M6 southbound.
0:37:46 > 0:37:48This is the congestion.
0:37:48 > 0:37:53Quite considerable, really. As far as we can see, continuous traffic.
0:37:55 > 0:37:56Now got another...
0:37:58 > 0:38:00..incident on the M5.
0:38:04 > 0:38:06They're like London buses - they never come in...
0:38:06 > 0:38:08They always come in two and threes.
0:38:10 > 0:38:14We've got five accidents and two vehicles broken down.
0:38:14 > 0:38:16One in lane three.
0:38:16 > 0:38:20We've actually got more congestion northbound from people looking over.
0:38:25 > 0:38:27OK.
0:38:27 > 0:38:30- A jumper, is it? - Yeah. Possible suicide.
0:38:30 > 0:38:33There's a gentleman sitting on the wrong side of the railings
0:38:33 > 0:38:35on the overbridge of the M42.
0:38:35 > 0:38:37Our job is to stop the traffic.
0:38:37 > 0:38:39We've got to position crews north and south. OK.
0:38:39 > 0:38:41Got northbound covered.
0:38:41 > 0:38:45OK. I'll try and get an East Mids car down.
0:38:45 > 0:38:47If we have any incidents on any overbridges,
0:38:47 > 0:38:50attempted suicides, possible jumpers,
0:38:50 > 0:38:53our procedure is to stop all the traffic
0:38:53 > 0:38:55running underneath the bridge.
0:38:55 > 0:38:59So we shut both carriageways, north and southbound.
0:38:59 > 0:39:02Disruption can be huge for the general public.
0:39:04 > 0:39:07On the M6, the Highways Agency traffic officers
0:39:07 > 0:39:10have managed to open two of the lanes.
0:39:10 > 0:39:12Our pressure is to get the lanes back
0:39:12 > 0:39:16and the motorway running as normal as quick as possible.
0:39:17 > 0:39:19But to clear the accident,
0:39:19 > 0:39:22all three lanes must now be stopped again.
0:39:24 > 0:39:27It's a long drive home for a few people tonight.
0:39:27 > 0:39:30And, of course, unless they hear it on the radio,
0:39:30 > 0:39:33they've got no way of knowing why they're sitting in a queue,
0:39:33 > 0:39:36not moving, which leads to exasperation.
0:39:36 > 0:39:38Can you remain there, sir, for two seconds, please...
0:39:38 > 0:39:41- Yes, no problem, mate.- ..while I throw all the cones across?
0:39:41 > 0:39:45They're pulling a vehicle across onto the hard shoulder.
0:39:45 > 0:39:46Wait there!
0:39:49 > 0:39:50Wait!
0:39:50 > 0:39:53Excuse me, we've stopped these for a reason!
0:39:58 > 0:40:01Hang on there, please. Don't move.
0:40:01 > 0:40:04They're moving a vehicle there.
0:40:04 > 0:40:05Hang on!
0:40:05 > 0:40:07That's why everybody's stopped.
0:40:14 > 0:40:17Is that police on the bridge?
0:40:17 > 0:40:19So the police have arrived on the scene now.
0:40:20 > 0:40:23In reality, we've got so much to do, you don't have time to panic.
0:40:23 > 0:40:25There's so many steps to take,
0:40:25 > 0:40:29there's always more precautions you can take this end.
0:40:32 > 0:40:35And, again, sadly, it's quite a common occurrence.
0:40:44 > 0:40:46Hold on, I think it's all done.
0:40:51 > 0:40:55He's the right side of the barrier now.
0:40:55 > 0:40:57Yeah, that's received.
0:40:57 > 0:41:00He is the correct side of the barrier now.
0:41:00 > 0:41:02We're just calling police for an update,
0:41:02 > 0:41:04ensure that we can release traffic.
0:41:04 > 0:41:06It's good, all over.
0:41:08 > 0:41:11By the time the traffic officers stop the M42 carriageway,
0:41:11 > 0:41:15the man was already being escorted off the bridge.
0:41:15 > 0:41:17It's a great relief when the police
0:41:17 > 0:41:20get him back over the right side of the barrier and take him away.
0:41:22 > 0:41:26The M42 was only stopped for a few moments,
0:41:26 > 0:41:29but the accident on the M6 closed lanes for an hour and a half.
0:41:31 > 0:41:33The crew have dealt with it.
0:41:33 > 0:41:36The driver has been checked over by an ambulance
0:41:36 > 0:41:39and they've opened all the lanes.
0:41:39 > 0:41:42Suicide threats can be as often as one a week,
0:41:42 > 0:41:46and they've been known to close motorways for long periods of time.
0:41:46 > 0:41:50We've had one in our region that's gone on for over 24 hours,
0:41:50 > 0:41:53during a really busy period, a summer period,
0:41:53 > 0:41:55where people were trying to go on holiday
0:41:55 > 0:41:57and there was nothing we could do.
0:41:57 > 0:41:59We had all the professionals on the scene
0:41:59 > 0:42:03trying to talk this gentleman down and...
0:42:04 > 0:42:08..that can get quite hairy, yeah.
0:42:08 > 0:42:10The impact on the network is huge.
0:42:10 > 0:42:14You then get the thousands of complaints that we're going to get in
0:42:14 > 0:42:17and you have to deal with the general public.
0:42:17 > 0:42:21On scene, there were reports of the general public
0:42:21 > 0:42:28actually shouting at the possible jumper, you know,
0:42:28 > 0:42:30to throw himself off the bridge and stop wasting their time.
0:42:41 > 0:42:45PCs Karl Davies and Mark Crozier are collision investigators
0:42:45 > 0:42:48working with the Central Motorway Police Group.
0:42:48 > 0:42:53When a collision or a suicide occurs on the motorway,
0:42:53 > 0:42:58it is more significant because of the speeds that are involved.
0:42:58 > 0:43:01Vehicles can be completely destroyed.
0:43:01 > 0:43:05Bodies can be completely destroyed in a high-speed impact,
0:43:05 > 0:43:11which obviously makes our job as investigators a lot more difficult,
0:43:11 > 0:43:15to unravel the circumstances surrounding that.
0:43:15 > 0:43:19We certainly don't have the fluffy, pink side of policing.
0:43:19 > 0:43:21We get the most horrendous part of it all.
0:43:23 > 0:43:30We have to deal with and we have to see the most horrendous things.
0:43:30 > 0:43:32- That was quite serious then, wasn't it?- It was.
0:43:33 > 0:43:35I need a lie down.
0:43:35 > 0:43:38Every day, Karl and Mark deal with the fatal
0:43:38 > 0:43:41or life-changing incidents that occur on the road.
0:43:42 > 0:43:45It's four years we've been working together - four years this April.
0:43:45 > 0:43:48And it's probably been the best four years of my career
0:43:48 > 0:43:49so far with the team we've got here.
0:43:49 > 0:43:53Mate, I'm welling up, that's beautiful.
0:43:53 > 0:43:55We got nicknamed The Twins, didn't we?
0:43:55 > 0:43:58I think it's cos we're so good looking - we both look alike.
0:44:01 > 0:44:03It's cos we're gorgeous.
0:44:03 > 0:44:06If you've witnessed trauma, you've got to get through the day
0:44:06 > 0:44:11and humour and taking the mickey out of each other
0:44:11 > 0:44:15and anything really in the office is just...
0:44:17 > 0:44:20It just diffuses the situation
0:44:20 > 0:44:22because you see some horrible things,
0:44:22 > 0:44:27and the way you deal it is humour, and that's the way you get round it.
0:44:36 > 0:44:39It's 6am on a Saturday morning.
0:44:42 > 0:44:46Traffic officers Karen and Colin are on the early shift.
0:44:48 > 0:44:50SHE YAWNS
0:44:51 > 0:44:52What did I say the other day?
0:44:52 > 0:44:54We know a flock of sheep, a herd of cows,
0:44:54 > 0:44:56what do you call a group of pigs?
0:44:56 > 0:44:59- A swine or a drift... - Something like that.
0:44:59 > 0:45:01And I said, "What do you call a group of traffic officers?"
0:45:01 > 0:45:03And I said a moan.
0:45:03 > 0:45:06- A moan of traffic officers. - A whinge.
0:45:14 > 0:45:18- ON RADIO:- 'Tango Alpha, Whisky November 2-1. Over.
0:45:18 > 0:45:21'We're getting reports of an animal,
0:45:21 > 0:45:23'junction 9 to 10 of the M6. Over.'
0:46:00 > 0:46:04'1-4 we need a closure on...
0:46:04 > 0:46:08'54 and we'll close the main carriageway on 54, received.'
0:46:14 > 0:46:16They've shut the main carriageway.
0:46:16 > 0:46:20There's another crew shutting the M54 where that joins onto the M6,
0:46:20 > 0:46:24and we've just got to wait for the police now to sort that bit out.
0:46:25 > 0:46:28A mile-long section of the M6 is now a crime scene.
0:46:30 > 0:46:33The police have taken over the motorway.
0:46:33 > 0:46:36The Highways Agency staff no longer have control of the road.
0:46:42 > 0:46:45So this will be going on for quite some time today,
0:46:45 > 0:46:49because they have to find out whether they...whether we know it
0:46:49 > 0:46:52was a possible suicide or something.
0:46:52 > 0:46:55We don't know if it's a female,
0:46:55 > 0:46:59we don't know if it's a male, but it's just sad.
0:46:59 > 0:47:01You know, it's not nice.
0:47:01 > 0:47:04I wouldn't want to be the guys that have been on road,
0:47:04 > 0:47:07because they're there - they've come across it
0:47:07 > 0:47:10and they've seen the...
0:47:10 > 0:47:12Whereas, we haven't seen as much.
0:47:15 > 0:47:19Colin and Karen are heading back to Hilton Park
0:47:19 > 0:47:22to have a bit of them time and calm down.
0:47:28 > 0:47:30'Colin will be OK, Karen will be in pieces
0:47:30 > 0:47:33'cos Karen's...
0:47:33 > 0:47:35'I like Karen a lot.
0:47:35 > 0:47:38'I mean, we work a lot of shifts together, so I do feel for Karen.
0:47:40 > 0:47:42'Colin will be fine, he's a good lad.'
0:47:59 > 0:48:03Little bit down, but it's to be expected, I suppose.
0:48:05 > 0:48:06All part of the job.
0:48:06 > 0:48:09There are good parts and bad parts.
0:48:09 > 0:48:13You know, we don't really get to know what happens after this, do we?
0:48:13 > 0:48:16- We don't usually get to know... - No, you don't want all the details,
0:48:16 > 0:48:18but it's just nice to know some other things -
0:48:18 > 0:48:21who, possibly why.
0:48:33 > 0:48:37Eight miles of two different motorways are closed as people
0:48:37 > 0:48:40set out on their Saturday morning journeys.
0:48:40 > 0:48:42There's already 3km of traffic
0:48:42 > 0:48:45queuing to divert off the M6.
0:48:45 > 0:48:48It's police-led so they're just going to do the investigation work
0:48:48 > 0:48:51and we're waiting for an update as to when it can be reopened.
0:48:53 > 0:48:56OK, we're looking now at two hours to reopening.
0:48:57 > 0:48:59I'd say it would be longer than that.
0:48:59 > 0:49:02- Two hours, we'll be looking at what? 11, 12 o'clock?- Yeah.
0:49:05 > 0:49:08The coroner's now on scene and then, fingers crossed,
0:49:08 > 0:49:10straight for leaving in the hour, hour and a half,
0:49:10 > 0:49:12we should have the motorway back open.
0:49:14 > 0:49:16Getting on for time-wise.
0:49:21 > 0:49:24Painfully slow, though, isn't it, if it goes on like this?
0:49:24 > 0:49:26I know, but there's nothing that we can do.
0:49:26 > 0:49:29I know, it's so frustrating.
0:49:29 > 0:49:33You start to get a build-up of shopping traffic now for Walsall.
0:49:33 > 0:49:36- Definitely, yeah. - Football traffic heading north.
0:49:36 > 0:49:39Are Walsall at home? I can't imagine that will have much impact.
0:49:39 > 0:49:41Arsenal are travelling up to Liverpool.
0:49:45 > 0:49:48This is sort of the time where the congestion volume goes up.
0:49:50 > 0:49:53The police investigation on the motorway has been carried
0:49:53 > 0:49:56out by PCs Davies and Crozier.
0:49:56 > 0:50:01It's now five hours since the M6 was first closed.
0:50:01 > 0:50:05Well, the motorway operate a clear policy, which is basically
0:50:05 > 0:50:08get the motorway up and running as soon as possible.
0:50:08 > 0:50:12Our job hinders that in the fact that we could be at the scene,
0:50:12 > 0:50:14or at a scene, for a number of hours.
0:50:14 > 0:50:19My personal point of view is, until we've got all the evidence
0:50:19 > 0:50:22that we need to answer all the questions that the family are
0:50:22 > 0:50:27going to ask, I don't care how long the motorway is closed.
0:50:27 > 0:50:29The bottom line is, the family come first.
0:50:29 > 0:50:35Yeah, I mean we've all been motorists stuck in long tailbacks
0:50:35 > 0:50:39and unfortunately you forget that, at the end of it,
0:50:39 > 0:50:41somebody is probably crying at home
0:50:41 > 0:50:44over just being told the worst news possible.
0:50:44 > 0:50:47The whole scene...
0:50:48 > 0:50:51We were there for four hours,
0:50:51 > 0:50:55and in that time we've identified the gentleman, where he lived,
0:50:55 > 0:50:59where his vehicle was, which was nearby, where the point the
0:50:59 > 0:51:03gentleman landed on the carriageway was,
0:51:03 > 0:51:06who his next of kin were,
0:51:06 > 0:51:11and officers were deployed to go to his family as quickly as possible.
0:51:13 > 0:51:15With regards to today's incident,
0:51:15 > 0:51:22you imagine going into a family home,
0:51:22 > 0:51:26telling their loved ones that their next of kin has died.
0:51:28 > 0:51:30OFF CAMERA: 'Do you ever get emotional?'
0:51:34 > 0:51:35Have I ever got emotional?
0:51:38 > 0:51:41Yeah. Not at the time, afterwards.
0:51:42 > 0:51:43Yeah.
0:51:46 > 0:51:48Control of the closed motorway
0:51:48 > 0:51:50has now been handed back to the Highways Agency.
0:51:52 > 0:51:55But before drivers can be allowed back onto it,
0:51:55 > 0:51:58there is more work to be done.
0:51:58 > 0:52:04It's Veolia who are a clean up crew for cleaning up spillages,
0:52:04 > 0:52:05and I've been led by them -
0:52:05 > 0:52:08if they're happy then we're happy and we'll reopen it.
0:52:08 > 0:52:11So, that's all we're waiting on, really, is to clear it up,
0:52:11 > 0:52:15because the last thing you want is to be driving through it, unfortunately.
0:52:33 > 0:52:36Just a waiting game.
0:52:36 > 0:52:38They reckon an hour.
0:52:38 > 0:52:41I'm keeping my fingers crossed for a bit earlier.
0:52:41 > 0:52:45But we'll see how they go. Can't hurry it along, so...
0:52:59 > 0:53:02'They're estimating an hour.
0:53:02 > 0:53:04'I'll see if I can chivvy them along
0:53:04 > 0:53:06'but it'll take as long as it takes.'
0:53:06 > 0:53:07That's all received. Over.
0:53:07 > 0:53:09Another hour!
0:53:10 > 0:53:11Did you hear that?
0:53:28 > 0:53:32You have to feel for the family and it's a shame.
0:53:32 > 0:53:34It was that...
0:53:34 > 0:53:37What I think about was that loneliness,
0:53:37 > 0:53:41just the two of us there at that instant when it was dark and damp
0:53:41 > 0:53:45and there wasn't nobody else there. That was a...
0:53:45 > 0:53:46That was the...
0:53:54 > 0:53:56I wouldn't say it was a scary place, it was just...
0:53:56 > 0:54:02It was just terribly lonely - it felt terribly lonely, you know.
0:54:02 > 0:54:05I know it wasn't, cos there were cars coming past.
0:54:06 > 0:54:11But it was just that split-second realisation that gets you.
0:54:12 > 0:54:15As I say, we've been to fatals before,
0:54:15 > 0:54:17but you know you're going to those fatals -
0:54:17 > 0:54:19the adrenaline's pumping,
0:54:19 > 0:54:21you know what you're going to expect, to a point.
0:54:21 > 0:54:25But it was just the shock of finding something that you weren't expecting,
0:54:25 > 0:54:28that was...that was the difference.
0:54:30 > 0:54:35And you have to deal with it then, but it's very fragile.
0:54:37 > 0:54:40And it takes a certain kind of person to handle that, I think.
0:54:47 > 0:54:50PHONE RINGS 'Hello?'
0:54:50 > 0:54:52You all right, Charlotte?
0:54:52 > 0:54:54- 'Yeah, are you?'- Yeah, I'm good, I'm good.
0:54:54 > 0:54:56Roads are clear now. Roads are clear.
0:54:56 > 0:55:00We had all the traffic this morning and it's died down now.
0:55:01 > 0:55:03Are we here?
0:55:03 > 0:55:05- No.- We're not there yet.
0:55:10 > 0:55:12They're all just sat in the middle lane.
0:55:13 > 0:55:15Ridiculous.
0:55:21 > 0:55:231-8-2.
0:55:24 > 0:55:27We'll never win the battle against potholes,
0:55:27 > 0:55:29not until the flying car comes in.
0:55:39 > 0:55:43'Yeah we have a block on at 6 over 6 on the M5.'
0:55:45 > 0:55:48That's received. Poppy Uniform 1-5, do you copy?
0:55:50 > 0:55:55We've got somebody coming up the hard shoulder, that's illegal.
0:55:55 > 0:55:572-1, you've got a couple of vehicles coming up
0:55:57 > 0:55:59the hard shoulder to you.
0:56:00 > 0:56:01When one goes, they'll all go,
0:56:01 > 0:56:04there's some more coming now, as well.
0:56:05 > 0:56:09People, in their minds, think, "Oh, if he's doing it, then I can do it."
0:56:11 > 0:56:15'It's all complete, you can release the block, please. Over.
0:56:15 > 0:56:17'Many thanks for your help.'
0:56:17 > 0:56:21'That's all received, we're releasing the block now. 2-1 out.'
0:56:27 > 0:56:30Biccies, biccies, biccies.
0:56:30 > 0:56:34Look, I've told you, you'll go to hell!
0:56:34 > 0:56:36That is why I come to work -
0:56:36 > 0:56:39the dream of owning one of those one day.
0:56:39 > 0:56:43That is a 1967 Mercedes 250 SL, "Pagoda" top.
0:56:43 > 0:56:46Modern cars are fabulous, fantastic, they've got so many
0:56:46 > 0:56:51qualities that the old cars haven't got, but they don't have that...
0:56:51 > 0:56:53style. They don't have that...
0:56:53 > 0:56:59They don't exude that panache, that elegance that the old cars do.
0:57:07 > 0:57:10Everything around you seems to be going at 90mph,
0:57:10 > 0:57:12everything is rush, rush, rush.
0:57:14 > 0:57:18For me, if I go away or go out for the day,
0:57:18 > 0:57:24the shortest time I spend on the motorway, the easier it is for me.
0:57:24 > 0:57:27It's a slab of tarmac, it goes through some gorgeous countryside
0:57:27 > 0:57:31so why not take a B road and enjoy the countryside?
0:57:31 > 0:57:34The motorway is far too quick.
0:57:34 > 0:57:37I find this stressful, to be quite honest with you.
0:57:39 > 0:57:42It's a car travelling the wrong way down the motorway.
0:57:42 > 0:57:44That's one way of missing the queues.
0:57:44 > 0:57:48..meet the men and women who clear up when things go wrong.
0:57:48 > 0:57:52Leaks, carrots, parsnips, turnips.
0:57:52 > 0:57:55I've seen it all now.
0:57:55 > 0:57:57We always get the blame for closing lanes and it's not us
0:57:57 > 0:58:00that closes the lanes, it's the accidents.
0:58:00 > 0:58:03A lot of the milk has gone into the drains.
0:58:03 > 0:58:05We're trying to stop it getting into a pond.
0:58:05 > 0:58:08Milk is worse than most stuff.
0:58:08 > 0:58:12Last one I did down here was loaded with salmon.
0:58:12 > 0:58:14It did smell a little bit, you know.
0:58:14 > 0:58:16Every little helps.