Here's why it took 17 HOURS to fix a pothole on the M1 in Northamptonshire yesterday

Highways England revealed a "significant pothole" was the cause of more than 17 HOURS of chaos on the M1 and A5 in Northamptonshire on Wednesday.

Engineeers struggled to fill the hole which appeared on the northbound carriageway of the motorway near to Junction 18 at about 4am yesterday morning.

Frustrated drivers faced up to 90-minute delays while desperate attempts at a quick fix to make the road safe for daytime traffic.

And two lanes were closed on the stretch of motorway until around 9pm last night while permanent repairs were carried out.

A Highways England spokesman said: "It was a significant pothole.

"Normally, we would send a team out to fill the hole temporarily and then go out again late at night when it's quieter to make a permanent repair.

"That way it minimises disruption for users on the motorway.

"Sadly in this instance, maybe because of the weather or simply because of the size of the hole, the temporary fix just did not work.

"So we had to turn to the permanent repair which obviously takes longer because the surface has to cure before vehicles can run over it.

"There did not appear to be anything which caused the pothole other than wear and tear."

Traffic trying to avoid the queues, and HGVs heading for industrial areas and the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal, also snarled up the A5.

And many who took to the county's minor roads in a bid to find their way past the congestion were also held up by a serious crash near Watford village at around 2.30pm.

Two people — the driver and a passenger in one of the vehicles — were taken to hospital as a precaution following the incident.

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