Commuters were stuck in heavy queues on the eastbound M56 during Monday morning.

Closure of the slip road at junction 12 at Runcorn has caused heavy tailbacks stretching back to junction 15 at the M53 exchange.

Delays of more than one hour have been reported.

The closures have been made as part of work on the Mersey Gateway Project.

Disruptions are expected to last five weeks while improvements are made to better connect traffic between Halton and the M56.

The M56 at junction 12 westbound. Picture from Google

Merseylink general manager Hugh O'Connor said: “This is a temporary but essential closure to allow us to safely link the M56 eastbound slip road at junction 12 to the improved road network we are developing in the area.

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“We’ve been working closely with Highways England and Halton Borough Council to plan this closure.

"Closing the road completely will allow us to deliver this element of the work as quickly as possible.”

As of 10.50am on Monday the congestion was beginning to ease.

Were you caught up in the congestion this morning? Tweet us @ChesterChron or let us know in the comments below.