Police stopped traffic on M6 after 13 men found in the back of a fruit lorry

All traffic was halted as emergency services rushed to the Northbound section between Junctions 10 and 10a, at around 2.30pm-3pm on Monday (December 14).

Traffic was also stopped on the opposite carriageway but the restrictions were lifted by 3.30pm.

A witness to the scene said a group of men were sat on the hard shoulder while authorities conducted a search of the lorry.

West Midlands Ambulance Service sent a number of resources to the scene and 12 men was assessed and discharged.

A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “We were called by police at 2:47pm to the M6 North at Hilton Services. We sent two ambulances, two paramedic officers and HART to the scene.

“We’ve assessed 12 men who have all been discharged at the scene.”

West Midlands Police said: “We were alerted to people found in the back of a lorry on the M6 in Walsall, at around 2.30pm this afternoon.

“We found 13 men in the lorry, they are being checked over by ambulance colleagues as we try to establish what has happened.”

One motorist was driving along the M6 Southbound when he was forced to stop by the police.

He told Birmingham LIVE: “It all came to a standstill and the police had just arrived. All this police had just passed us on the Southbound to go back on themselves at Junction 10.

“There must have been about four or five cars and more turning up at the scene.

“Two ambulances came and they were taking a stretcher out to the back of the lorry.

“As we got closer, we could see all these people coming out the back of a fruit lorry.

“They looked like men sitting on the side in this lay-by.

“The police were a couple of metres away from them and were looking inside the lorry.

“As we were going further down the motorway as it opened up, more emergency vehicles were coming up.”