Meet the Rochdale workers keeping the motorways moving at Christmas

While the rest of the country tucks into Christmas dinner, two Rochdale workers will be spending the day patrolling Britain’s highest motorway.

Highways England traffic officers Phil Palmer and Lee Davison cover many of the motorways around Manchester from their base at Milnrow, including the stretch of the M62 that is 372 metres above sea level at Saddleworth Moor.

Christmas Day was the quietest day for incidents on the motorway network last year but Highways England’s traffic officers in the North West still dealt with 60 breakdowns, four collisions, one abandoned vehicle and one incident involving animals on the motorway.

Traffic officers Phil and Lee are encouraging drivers to make simple checks to their vehicles to avoid spending Christmas Day on a motorway verge. They will be part of a dedicated team of traffic officers helping to keep the country moving at Christmas.

Phil, 39 from Stockport, joined Highways England as a traffic officer in April after previously working as a bus driver. He said:

“You never know what you’re coming in to. There’s something different every day and you really have to think on your feet.

“I’ve never worked on Christmas Day before but, like the emergency services, we have to be on duty at Christmas because people will still be on the motorways and incidents could still potentially happen.”

Lee, 50 from Hyde, will be joining Phil on the early shift from 6am until 2pm. They will be among around 100 traffic officers across the North West ready to help drivers throughout Christmas Day.

Around 30 traffic officers will also be co-ordinating responses to incidents at Highways England’s north west regional operations centre in Newton-le-Willows, and maintenance teams will be on standby to carry out repairs and drive gritters.

Lee said: “It is quite different on the roads as they’re much quieter but you get different types of incidents to attend. Some people are out on the motorways that don’t usually use them so they can be a bit confused sometimes.

“People are always very apologetic if we’re called out to a breakdown and don’t expect us to be working on Christmas Day. We’re happy that we’re able to help them and get them moving again.

“My wife and I should still manage a nice Christmas dinner after I’ve finished my shift and we’ll see our grandchildren so it’ll be a hectic afternoon but hopefully a quiet morning on the roads.”

Last year, traffic officers responded to 310 collisions on England’s motorways during the four days before Christmas Day – almost half of the total number of collisions during the 12-day festive season as people made their way across the country to see friends and family.

The Friday and Saturday before Christmas were also the most common days for motorway breakdowns, with traffic officers helping 610 drivers whose vehicles experienced faults during the two days.

Highways England has issued five tips to avoid a breakdown while you are driving home for Christmas:

• Lights: Ask someone to help you check all your lights, including your brake and reverse lights, are working properly before setting off.
• Oil: Use a dipstick to check you have enough oil and prevent your engine from seizing up.
• Fuel: Always keep your fuel tank at least a quarter full and fill it up to the top ahead of a long journey.
• Tyres: Check the pressure and tread depth of your tyres to make sure they are safe and roadworthy.
• Screen wash: Keep your screen wash container topped up so you can clear dirt off your windscreen.

Highways England is also advising drivers to pay attention to messages on the overhead electronic signs and listen for radio updates during severe weather over the festive season.

Further information can be found by visiting www.trafficengland.com, following @highwaysnwest on Twitter or calling the Highways England Information Line on 0300 123 5000.