There were also delays on the M58 and M6 in Lancashire, the M1 in West Yorkshire and the M20 in Kent, while heavy snow forced the closure of part of the A66 in Cumbria.
Phase two of Operation Stack is in operation on the M20, meaning coastbound traffic is taken off the motorway at junction eight and lorries heading for the Channel Tunnel or Port of Dover put back, but held in a queue.
The backlog prompted the closure of the M20 between the Maidstone and Ashford turn-offs to allow for the complex operation to shift non-freight traffic off the motorway and onto the A20 to make room for the hundreds of lorries waiting to board ferries and trains for France.