Update: 8.30pm – A woman has been arrested after she brought rush-hour traffic to a standstill by stopping her car in the middle of a busy motorway.
The incident happened shortly after 5.00pm this evening in the northbound lanes of the M18 in Co Clare between the Newmarket on Fergus and Dromoland interchanges.
According to eye-witnesses the woman, believed to be in her 50s, stopped her car on the centre white line between the two live lanes before stepping out onto the motorway and started singing.
Rush hour traffic was left backed up for several kilometres while multiple calls were made to the emergency services. Congestion was also reported in nearby Newmarket on Fergus as traffic was diverted off the motorway at junction 10 to take an alternative route.
Gardaí, National Ambulance Service paramedics and several units of Clare County Fire and Rescue Service from Shannon Town responded to the incident.
Over an hour after the incident began, the woman was arrested at the scene and transported to Shannon Garda station. The motorway was reopened at around 6.15pm but it took some time for the backlog to clear.
A Garda spokesperson confirmed: “A female motorist was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving under the influence. She was conveyed to Shannon Garda station.”
Update: This incident has been dealt with and traffic is moving again.
Earlier: Emergency services are dealing with an incident on the M18 between Newmarket on Fergus and Dromoland.
Gardaí, National Ambulance Service paramedics and several units of the Clare County Fire and Service from Shannon Town were called to the scene shortly after 5.00pm.
The incident happened between Newmarket on Fergus and Dromoland in the northbound lanes.
According to eye-witnesses the incident does not involve a collision between vehicles. It’s understood a motorist brought their vehicle to a stop in the live lanes however the circumstances are not yet clear.
The incident happened at the height of rush hour and has resulted in traffic being backed up to junction 10
Traffic was held up for around five kilometres while there was also congestion reported in nearby Newmarket on Fergus as traffic was diverted off the motorway at junction 10.
More to follow…
#CLARE Incident on M18 northbound. More here: https://t.co/ipFDM8svNY
— AA Ireland (@aaroadwatch) September 25, 2020