Seven Buses Stranded in Tailbacks After M6 Crash Near Penrith

​Seven Stagecoach buses were left stranded in heavy tailbacks following a collision on the M6 southbound near Junction 41 at Catterlen, Cumbria.

Police were called to the scene at around 1.10pm on Tuesday, April 7, after reports of a crash involving a heavy goods vehicle (HGV) and a Seat Tarraco.

The collision prompted the closure of the southbound carriageway between Junctions 41 and 40, with recovery and investigation work causing significant traffic disruption throughout the afternoon.

Stagecoach said that because of the resulting tailbacks on the A6 diversion route, its 104 service from Carlisle was unable to operate as scheduled, leaving seven buses caught in the delays. Services continued to run where possible, but were subject to substantial delays.

Emergency responders confirmed that the driver of the HGV was uninjured. A rear-seat passenger in the Seat was airlifted to hospital with life-threatening injuries, while the driver and two other occupants suffered minor injuries.

Police continue to investigate the circumstances of the crash and have appealed for witnesses or anyone with dashcam footage to come forward, quoting incident number 99 of 7 April 2026.

Motorists were advised to allow extra travel time or seek alternative routes while delays persisted.

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