M6 toll incident caused by electronic cigarette, police confirm

A major armed police response on the M6 toll road occurred as a passenger on board a coach lit an electronic cigarette, police have confirmed.

Police officers closed the toll road earlier to stop a coach in order to investigate reports that a male passenger was seen 'pouring a liquid into a smoking plastic bag'.

On further investigation police found that vapour coming from a bag on the coach actually contained a "health improvement aid for smokers".

The M6 toll road has now been opened and passengers have been placed on another coach.

Officers stopped the Megabus coach between junctions T3 and T4, near the famous Belfry Golf Course, near Weeford, Staffordshire at 8.20am. 48 passengers were travelling from Preston to London when the coach was stopped.

Unconfirmed witness reports claimed the driver dialled 999 after passengers saw a man on the coach pouring liquid into a smoking bag. The vehicle left Preston at 5.10am this morning and was due to get to London Victoria at 10.55am. Shocked motorists reported at least ten police vans surrounding the coach as "large numbers" of armed police stormed onto the vehicle in the middle of rush-hour.

[Related story: Six held over 'Islamic terror plot']

"Stuck in a queue to get off the m6 toll which is now closed and a Police Bomb Disposal van has just whizzed past, how exciting!" wrote Twitter user Susannah Barton.


Twitter user @saladmunchers added: "Still stuck on M6! Armed police stormed coach on toll road! Been here since 9:15am, apparently terrorists! #fact #WTF"

A spokeswoman for Megabus, which is operated by Stagecoach, said: "We are assisting police with their inquiries into an allegation made against a passenger who was travelling on board one of our services."

Staffordshire Police have said that no criminal offence has been committed and that "no passenger or any other member of the public is being treated as a suspect."