DISGRUNTLED motorists have hit out at the performance of the Highways Agency during the windy weather that saw the M6 shut for almost half a day.

The town was heavily affected when traffic had to be diverted off the busy motorway and through Warrington while Thelwall Viaduct was closed due to lorries blown over in the high winds.

Motorists have since questioned why spots like Thelwall Viaduct were not closed to lorries before the wind hit.

The Highways Agency had issued an amber warning' on March 11, the day before the closure. This was issued to lorry drivers under a new system that was devised with haulage associations. The system issues amber warnings to drivers to keep an eye on the weather conditions. Red warnings tell all lorry drivers to leave the motorway immediately.

The agency said that the red alert was considered but they decided not to issue it to try keep the motorway running.

But around 4am on March 12 three lorries overturned on the bridge, closing the motorway in both directions.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said: "While exceptional gusts at the Thelwall Viaduct led to the closure, we believe the decision not to issue a blanket red alert was correct - allowing flexibility on traffic management catering to differing conditions and allowing us to keep traffic flowing."