M1 Sheffield: Pothole rush hour 'chaos' as repairs close three lanes sending traffic through rural villages

Urgent repairs to a pothole on the M1 near Sheffield were causing chaos in nearby villages as motorists tried to avoid delays.

An "infrastructure defect" on the southbound side of the M1 closed three lanes (of four) between J31 (Sheffield) and J30 (Chesterfield) as traffic officers and service providers aim to repair a "safety critical pothole".

A resident in Treeton described it as "chaos on the roads" in the village, especially at the Aston end of Treeton Lane as motorists are using the area as a means to get around the motorway closure.

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National Highways, the government-owned company responsible for England's motorways and major A roads, said: "There are currently delays of around an hour approaching the scene, with congestion also building on the M18 southbound approaching the junction with the M1 (Thurcroft).

"The defect was discovered just after 11am today. National Highways is advising drivers to plan more time for their journeys this afternoon or avoid that area if at all possible."

In a statement, National Highways said they are expecting the delays to continue during the afternoon rush hour period as repairs continue.

Initially, only two lanes were closed for the repairs, this was extended to three early this afternoon, but National Highways announced at 5.38pm that all lanes were now open again.