Man arrested after three-car crash closes Mersey Gateway Bridge

Dramatic video footage shared with the ECHO showed the crash, which left one vehicle flipped on its roof

Wesley Holmes Liverpool Echo reporter

15:30, 18 Aug 2026

[Screengrab from dashcam footage of a crash on the Mersey Gateway Bridge on August 17 2026]

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A screengrab from dashcam footage of a crash on the Mersey Gateway Bridge on Monday, August 17

A man has been arrested on suspicion of a string of driving offences after a serious crash on the Mersey Gateway Bridge. The crash, which happened on the northbound carriageway of the bridge at 6.45pm yesterday (Monday, August 17), caused the road to be closed for several hours.

Traffic monitoring site Inrix reported stationary traffic from the Bridgewater Expressway to the A557 Queensway, with the carriageway being fully closed as emergency services attended.

Traffic heading northbound was diverted off at Bridgewater Interchange, then over the Silver Jubilee Bridge. A single lane on the carriageway was reopened at around 8pm as traffic appeared to be diverted around the incident.

Cheshire Police has now confirmed a 25-year-old man from Northwich was arrested at the scene on suspicion of taking a vehicle without consent, careless driving, driving without a licence and driving without insurance.

There were no reports of any life-threatening injuries, but a number of people were treated by paramedics. The suspect was taken to hospital as a precautionary measure and has since been taken to police custody.

Dramatic video footage shared with the ECHO showed the crash as it happened, leaving one vehicle flipped onto its roof in the middle of the road.

[Traffic was stopped on the northbound carriageway]

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Traffic was stopped on the northbound carriageway(Image: Mersey Gateway)

A Cheshire Police spokesman said: "At 6.45pm on Monday, August 17, police were called to reports of a collision on the northbound carriageway of the A533 Mersey Gateway.

"Officers attended and found there had been a collision involving three vehicles, a black Ford Focus, a black Mercedes and a grey Audi.

"The road was closed while emergency services dealt with the incident.

"There were no reports of any life-threatening injuries, but a number of casualties were treated by paramedics.

"The driver of the Ford Focus, a 25-year-old man from Northwich, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of taking a vehicle without consent, careless driving, driving without a licence and driving without insurance.

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"He was initially taken to hospital as a precautionary measure and has since been taken to police custody."

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