‘Concern for welfare’ saw M55 shut in both directions as police swarmed area

Traffic was brought to a halt between Blackpool and Wesham

08:20, 07 Nov 2025

The M55 was closed in both directions for more than one hour last night as police swarmed the motorway.

National Highways North West confirmed the westbound and eastbound carriageways were shut between J4 for Blackpool[1] and J3 for Wesham.

Traffic was brought to a halt at 10.43pm on Thursday (November 6) as Lancashire[2] Police responded to a 'concern for welfare' call.

Officers said the incident was safely resolved and the motorway reopened at around 11.45pm.

In a post on X last night at 11.05pm, National Highways said: "The eastbound #M55 is in the process of being closed between J4 #Blackpool and J3 #Wesham.

"The westbound will be closed within J4 (pushing traffic off and then back on). This is due to a Lancashire Police led incident."

An update at 11.23pm stated: "The #M55 is now closed westbound within J4 #Blackpool. The eastbound exit at J4 is also closed.

"This is due to an ongoing Lancashire Police led incident."

A final post at 12.03am this morning said: "The #M55 is now OPEN within J4 #Blackpool."

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Here are some groups you can contact:

Samaritans: Phone 116 123, 24 hours a day, or email [email protected][3], in confidence.

Childline: Phone 0800 1111.

Calls are free and won't show up on your bill.

PAPYRUS: Suicide prevention charity offering professional help and support to children, young people and anyone concerned for someone struggling with life. Call HOPELINEUK on 0800 068 4141, text 07860 039 967 or email [email protected][4].

Depression Alliance: A charity for people with depression. No helpline, but it offers useful resources and links to other information.

Students Against Depression: A website for students who are depressed, have low mood, or are suicidal. Click here to visit[5].

Bullying UK: A website for both children and adults affected by bullying. Click here[6].

Campaign Against Living Miserably (CALM): For young men who are feeling unhappy.

There is a helpline: 0800 58 58 58 or visit the website[7].

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References

1. ^ Blackpool (www.lancs.live)
2. ^ Lancashire (www.lancs.live)
3. ^ [email protected] (www.lancs.live)
4. ^ [email protected] (www.lancs.live)
5. ^ Click here to visit (www.studentsagainstdepression.org)
6. ^ Click here (www.bullying.co.uk)
7. ^ visit the website (www.thecalmzone.net)
8. ^ Subscribe to our daily newsletter LANCS LIVE NEWS and get all the biggest stories from across Lancashire direct to your inbox (www.lancs.live)