Highways England is advising drivers traffic is likely to be busy around the M56 and M6 over the forthcoming late summer bank holiday weekend with up to 60,000 dance music lovers heading to the annual Creamfields festival in Cheshire.

Creamfields 2017 features 4 days of events – running between 2pm on Thursday 24 August through to 11pm on Sunday 27 August.

Chris Chadwick, Highways England’s Events Planning Manager, said:

We will be doing all we can to manage traffic around the event and keep drivers on the move – festival goers and other drivers can help themselves by planning their journeys and keeping themselves up to date with traffic information.

We would like to remind everyone that the motorway is no place for pedestrians. It is dangerous and illegal to walk along the motorway, and having pedestrians on the network can cause delays for legitimate motorway users.

Drivers wanting to pick people up should use the dedicated collection points off the motorway network which will be clearly signed.

Anyone thinking of driving to the annual bank holiday festival is advised to plan their journey and leave plenty of time to get to the festival site on Daresbury Estate near Runcorn, just off junction 11 of the M56.

Extra police and Highways England traffic officers will be deployed around junction 11 of the M56 at Daresbury to deter festival goers from walking on the motorway – an issue in previous festivals particularly at the end of the event.

Car parks to the site will open at noon on the Thursday and close at 2pm on Bank Holiday Monday (29 August).

This year, with Mersey Gateway continuing, drivers are being advised not to use the M62 to get to the event. Event-goers will be directed to use junction 11 of the M56.

Highways England traffic officers at the North West regional control centre at Newton-le-Willows will use their electronic motorway signs across the local network to guide festival goers to the site and give information on any incidents or congestion.

Meanwhile, other road users are being advised that the M56 around junctions 10, 11 and 12 around Runcorn is likely to be busy at key times of the weekend. The M56 interchange with the M6 is also likely to experience higher volumes of traffic. Electronic signs along the M6, M56 and M62 are being used to give advance warning about the event.

Highways England is advising motorway users to check the latest travel information before setting out as well as listening for radio traffic alerts and heeding electronic signs once they are on the move.

Drivers can get up-to-the-minute traffic information by calling Highways England’s customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000 or by checking the Highways England website.

Live information on incidents or congestion will also be available from dedicated feeds from Twitter with the M56 and M6 routes covered by @HighwaysNWEST.

Dedicated travel information for those attending the event is available at the Creamfields website.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

Highways England is lifting more than 98 per cent of roadworks to help people travelling over the August bank holiday – and motorists are being urged to make sure their vehicles are ready for the journey.

Last year more than 20 motorists broke down each day during July and August because they had run out of fuel. Almost half of all breakdowns are caused by simple mechanical problems which could be avoided with simple checks and nearly a quarter are caused by tyre problems.

Highways England will be removing some 445 carriageway miles of roadworks from motorways and strategic A roads over the bank holiday and today joined forces with leading safety group IAM RoadSmart (IAM) to remind motorists to do their bit before setting off to cut the number of breakdowns.

Highways England operations director, Nick Harris, said:

We’re lifting more than 98 per cent of roadworks this bank holiday to help people get where they need to as safely and quickly as possible. If you’re driving out to enjoy the late summer bank holiday, make sure you take a few vital minutes to check your vehicle, especially if you haven’t done so for a while.

IAM RoadSmart Policy & Research Director, Neil Greig, added:

It’s excellent news that most roadworks will be lifted over the bank holiday. The onus is now on drivers to minimise the number of preventable incidents by driving safely and preparing themselves and their vehicles properly.

With tens of thousands of motorists set to travel across England, Highways England traffic officers will be working around the clock to deal with incidents on motorways and A-roads.

And before they set off, Highways England is urging motorists to:

• check fuel: Make sure you have enough to get to your destination.
• check tyres: Prior to setting off on a long/significant journey, check your tyre pressure and the condition of your tyres, including the spare – look out for cuts or wear and make sure the tyres have a minimum tread depth of 1.6mm, which is the legal limit
• check engine oil: Use your dipstick to check oil before any long journey, and top up if needed – take your car back to the garage if you’re topping up more than usual
• check water: To ensure you have good visibility, always keep your screen wash topped up so you can clear debris or dirt off your windscreen
• check your lights: If your indicators, hazard lights, headlights, fog lights, reverse lights or brake lights are not functioning properly, you are putting yourself at risk – in addition, light malfunctions can be a reason for your vehicle to fail its MOT

Highways England has also launched a series of specialist videos to help carry out basic vehicle checks before they set off on their travels. The videos can be viewed on the Think! website

View a map showing the locations of lifted and completed schemes.

By suspending or completing roadworks, more lanes will be open and many speed restrictions will be lifted. The roadworks will be removed by 6am on Friday 25 August 2017 and will not be put back before 00:01 on Tuesday 29 August 2017.

Those wishing to find out more about driving on smart motorways can view our webpage. for further information.

Drivers planning to use the Dartford Crossing are reminded to pay Dart Charge in advance or by midnight the day after crossing.

More information can be found on our website or by calling our information line (0300 123 5000) they can keep up to date with conditions on the roads.

For more detailed information on how to carry out your vehicle checks, search Think!

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

An internationally recognised trade expert with over 25 years of experience, Crawford will lead trade policy and the development of trade negotiation capability at DIT, following a global recruitment campaign by the department.

As Chief Trade Negotiation Adviser and Second Permanent Secretary, Crawford will be the UK government’s expert on trade negotiation and strategy, and the principal adviser to the International Trade Secretary on striking trade agreements and market access deals with the UK’s global trading partners.

Crawford will serve as an ambassador for DIT, engaging with international partners and trade counterparts to develop key strategic relationships, and will personally oversee pivotal trade negotiations on behalf of ministers.

Crawford will also act as the new head of profession for trade negotiators within the UK Civil Service, building, recruiting for and strengthening the department’s specialist trade and negotiation capability.

Crawford Falconer brings over 25 years of public service in trade and foreign affairs to DIT. A New Zealand/UK dual-national, he was previously Professor of Global Value Chains and Trade at Lincoln University. This follows a long career at the heart of New Zealand’s Foreign Office, as Deputy Secretary (Vice Minister) for International Trade and Foreign Affairs. He has also served in the OECD, as New Zealand Ambassador to the World Trade Organization, and been a judge on over 15 WTO international trade disputes.

International Trade Secretary, Dr Liam Fox said:

Crawford Falconer brings a wealth of international trade expertise to our international economic department, ensuring that as we leave the EU, the UK will be at the forefront of global free trade and driving the case for international openness.

His direct experience in global trade will prove invaluable as we build our future trading arrangements with the rest of the world.

Crawford Falconer said:

As the UK prepares to leave the EU we have a huge opportunity to be a world innovator, striking trade deals outside of Europe, and to be an ambassador for free trade across the world.

With 90% of new trade to coming from outside the EU in the next decades, this is an immensely exciting time to join the Department, and I look forward to preparing for the important negotiations ahead.

Following natural disasters, outbreaks of water borne diseases such as cholera can occur, particularly where there is a lack of access to clean water and sanitation. Given the scale of the disaster in Freetown, the local capacity to detect and control a disease outbreak is limited and the Government of Sierra Leone has requested international support.

The UK-PHRST team deploying includes experts in tracking the progress of an outbreak (epidemiologists) and diagnosing its cause (microbiologists), as well as a logistician.

The team will be working alongside Sierra Leone health system professionals and other experts in disaster relief to support the Sierra Leone government’s response.

UK-PHRST is jointly run by Public Health England and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and is funded by the UK government. It continually monitors infectious diseases and other hazards globally, identifying situations where the deployment of specialist expertise could prevent these threats from turning into a global outbreak.

Professor Daniel Bausch, Director of the UK-PHRST said:

Sierra Leone is working to stop a tragedy becoming a major public health issue. Our team of specialists will support its health professionals with enhanced surveillance for water-borne diseases, such as cholera, which often appear in the wake of extreme rainfall and flooding. The people of Sierra Leone have shown extraordinary resilience since the Ebola outbreak and we are working alongside them as we tackle this latest disaster together.

Health Minister Philip Dunne said:

This disaster is a tragedy for Sierra Leone and I am pleased our new rapid support team is helping to protect lives.

In this first bilateral deployment our specialists will save lives on the ground working with local professionals to prevent disease outbreaks. By assisting to halt the spread of disease at the source, not only do we protect those in Sierra Leone but also citizens across the world, including the UK.

International Development Secretary, Priti Patel said:

The UK stands by Sierra Leone in its time of need, stepping up with new emergency support to get food, water and medicine to people who have lost everything.

British expertise is also leading the fight against global health threats ensuring that disease doesn’t take hold in the aftermath of disasters.

The Rapid Support Team is just one way we are helping ensure that countries and the international system are better prepared to effectively tackle the preventable and treatable diseases that still plague countless people today. This will build a safer and healthier world which benefits us all.

As the UK-PHRST’s deployment progresses, it will continue to provide support and share expertise with our partners in Sierra Leone to strengthen the health system beyond the immediate response.

The UK government has remained in Sierra Leone throughout the post-Ebola period, with Public Health England helping to strengthen health systems and further developing the ability to respond to such disasters and prevent outbreaks.

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a world authority in public and global health research, and has been conducting Ebola vaccine trials in Sierra Leone since the outbreak of the virus in West Africa.

UK-PHRST

UK-PHRST consists of public health experts, scientists, academics and clinicians ready to respond to urgent requests from countries around the world within 48 hours to support them in preventing local disease outbreaks from becoming global epidemics.

Informed by surveillance data, the UK-PHRST deploys on behalf of UK Government in response to requests from low- and middle-income countries, as well as with the WHO (World Health Organization) and the Global Outbreak and Response Network (GOARN).

The UK-PHRST has previously deployed members to Ethiopia (outbreak of Acute Watery Diarrhoea) and Nigeria (Meningitis outbreak). These deployments were under the World Health Organization’s Global Outbreak and Response Network (WHO GOARN).

The core team consists of:

• epidemiologists (experts in tracking the progress of an outbreak)
• clinical researcher (developing the best clinical response measures)
• social scientist (community responses to outbreaks)
• microbiologist (diagnosing the cause of an outbreak)
• data manager, analyst, systems expert
• infection prevention and control expert (advising on outbreak control measures)
• logistician

The consortium of research institutions includes the University of Oxford and King’s College London as academic partners.

Public Health England

Public Health England exists to protect and improve the nation’s health and wellbeing, and reduce health inequalities. It does this through world-class science, knowledge and intelligence, advocacy, partnerships and the delivery of specialist public health services. PHE is an operationally autonomous executive agency of the Department of Health.

London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a world-leading centre for research and postgraduate education in public and global health, with more than 4,000 students and 1,000 staff working in over 100 countries. The School is one of the highest-rated research institutions in the UK, is among the world’s leading schools in public and global health, and was named University of the Year in the Times Higher Education Awards 2016. Our mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice.