MOTORISTS travelling near Durham this morning can expect delays of up to an hour and a half in some places, according to Highways England after crashes and a broken-down vehicle caused congestion on both the A1 (M) and A690.

Those making a commute or journey towards the city this morning are asked to plan their route and be prepared for long tailbacks.  

The traffic build-up on the A1 (M) was started after a road traffic collision partially blocked the A690 at junction 32 (Carrville), with all traffic being temporarily held back while the emergency services could deal with the incident. 

Read more: A66 closed between Scotch Corner and Brough due to snow

This incident has also caused severe delays on A1(M) Northbound between J61 A688 Tursdale Road (Bowburn) and J63 A167 (Chester-Le-Street). Traffic is reportedly moving at just a few miles per hour, due to the A1 (M) Northbound becoming shut between junctions 62 and 63, caused by a collision. 

The opposite side of the carriageway also remains slow, due to onlookers. 

Elsewhere, the A19 Northbound before A690 Durham Road (Herrington Interchange) is still slow-moving after a broken down vehicle blocked one lane of the A-road, while traffic is heavier than normal because of queueing traffic on A19 Southbound between A182 (Murton Interchange) and A181 (Peterlee). Travel time is around 30 to 35 minutes.

More to follow.

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