New M1 emergency bays to be finished by Christmas as part of smart motorway changes

Six new emergency bays along a section of the M1 are nearing completion after concerns were raised over the safety of smart motorways. The areas are located between junctions 23a and 25 around Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire and are due to be finished by Christmas, National Highways said.

The authority said the work was "now in the final stages", with a spokesperson adding: "Obviously any of our work can be affected by severe weather or other unforeseen circumstances but we are certainly on track to remove the traffic management by Christmas."

Emergency areas, which are painted bright orange and measure 100 metres long, provide a place to stop in an emergency if you can't exit the motorway or stop at a motorway service area. Each one is equipped with emergency telephones linking directly to our control rooms to get help on the way quickly.

Twenty new emergency areas are scheduled to also be added between junctions 28 and 30 in Derbyshire. The work is part of a national programme to create more emergency areas along smart motorways prompted by concerns about their safety.