UPDATE: A man has now been arrested. Read more here.
A hunt for an escaped prisoner sparked the closure of the M56 and M6 for hours yesterday, causing traffic chaos.
All traffic was stopped from every direction on the M56, at the junction with the M6 northbound, as police tried to find Jonathan Simpson. Officers said the 40-year-old was last seen at nearby HMP Thorn Cross in Appleton, Warrington, at around 9am yesterday.
Drivers stuck in the standstill traffic were spotted treating themselves to an ice cream in the middle of the motorway as many left their cars and enjoyed the nice weather. In a video shared to Twitter by Ross Harper, he said: "No word of a lie, an ice cream van is serving ice cream, on the M56."
He added: "I best go and get myself a '99." He told the M.E.N : "We were stuck on the M56 for around three hours. I think somebody must have knocked on the ice cream van window asking if they could get an ice cream and then the next thing you know more and more people were rocking up to get one, I was literally in stitches when I was watching it happen."
The traffic was first held at around 6pm, and did not start being released again until around 8pm. There was a large police presence in the area.
Simpson was described by police as a white male, who is around 5ft 11in tall with black shaved hair. He has green eyes and a beard. He was last seen wearing a dark navy Under Armour tracksuit and has ‘Krystal’ tattooed on his upper right arm.
He is known to have links within the West Yorkshire area, police said. Inspector Neil Anson, of Cheshire Police, said in a statement last night: "We currently have numerous officers and police dogs visible in ongoing searches for Simpson.
"While numerous enquiries are ongoing we’re urging anyone who sees Simpson to not approach him but to instead call Cheshire Constabulary immediately on 999 quoting IML 1228955.
"Officers will be maintaining a presence around the prison and in the local area to provide reassurance to the community. If you have any concerns please do speak to one of them. Information can also be passed on anonymously by calling Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
