[Pashtet]

11:27 GMT, 5 July 2012 | The Daily Mail

Armed police shut M6 toll motorway after swooping on bus where man was seen
'pouring liquid into smoking bag'

Counter-terrorism police swooped on a coach on the M6 toll road today after a man was
reportedly seen pouring liquid into a smoking bag.

Almost 50 passengers were evacuated as officers boarded the vehicle after a passenger
raised the alarm and told the driver to stop.

The coach, which was operated by Megabus, was travelling south from Preston to
London and had 48 people booked to travel on it.

Armed police were called to the scene after the driver dialled 999 and shut down the
motorway during rush hour.



The coach passengers were ordered to walk towards the toll plaza one by one as armed
police kept watch on the M6 at Weeford, near Lichfield, Staffordshire.

They were ordered to sit in a cordoned off square on the carriageway and a decontamination
unit was set-up nearby.

Police surrounded the cordoned-off area, which spread across one lane of the toll road. Police
dogs and their handlers were also seen walking nearby.

Several other cordoned off areas could also be seen, along with what appeared to be bright
yellow tents on the other side of the toll plaza.

Eyewitness Nick Jones, who was stopped on the motorway for more than an hour and a half,
told BBC News that police warned him to stay in his car, keep his windows closed and not to
use air conditioning.



A spokeswoman for Staffordshire Police said: 'There is currently an ongoing incident on the
M6 Toll at Weeford, near Lichfield.

'Both lanes of the toll road have been closed while police deal with the incident.'

Police were called to the scene at 8.20am and the road is expected to remain closed until this
afternoon.

Motorists caught in the tailbacks took to Twitter to express their frustration.