A spilt lorry full of offal has brought the A1 motorway to a standstill as emergency resurfacing works need to be carried out. 

Two out of three lanes of the A1(M) southbound carriageway had to be closed at 10 pm last night when a lorry shed its load of offal between J53 (Scotch Corner) and J52 (Cattrick Central).

The North Yorkshire road is expected to remain closed for most of today (Friday, September 8) as National Highways carries out emergency road resurfacing work. 

This morning, lane closures caused three miles of congestion, delaying commuters by at least half an hour. 

The Northern Echo: OPEN: Work on the six-mile stretch between Leeming and Catterick on the A1 is complete Picture: SARAH CALDECOTT

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A spokesperson for National Highways said: "Road users in North Yorkshire are advised to allow extra time for their journeys this morning as work continues to clear an offal spillage on the A1(M).

"Two of three lanes of the southbound carriageway between junctions 53 (Scotch Corner) and 52 (Catterick Central) remain closed after a lorry lost around two tonnes of its load at around 10 pm last night.

"Specialist contractors have been working through the night to clear the spillage but the lanes are expected to remain closed throughout the morning at least.

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"Plans are being made to resurface the carriageway which is currently too slippery for traffic to use.

"While traffic is able to pass the scene in lane three, delays are expected to build through the morning peak.

"Road users are advised to check their route before setting off at www.trafficengland.com and follow @HighwaysYORKS on X (Twitter) for updates."