Motorists are being warned of long delays on a popular motorway due to a major sewage spillage, prompting 12 miles of "very heavy congestion".
Lanes one and two (of four lanes) are closed within J20 on the M6 northbound, near Sworton Heath/Lymm, due to a spillage of soil and sewage.
National Highways has reported that a specialist clean-up team is being coordinated to clear the road and keep traffic flowing.
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It added that the incident is causing severe delays of around 90 minutes for motorists just before rush hour.
Long traffic delays can be seen on the M6 in Cheshire
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There is currently "very heavy congestion" along the M6 for 12 minutes, stretching back to Junction 18 Holmes Chapel.
National Highways has also closed the link road from the M6 Northbound to the M56 J9 westbound near Stretton as a result of the spillage.
Motorists looking to travel west at Junction 20 are encouraged to head north to J21 and turn back around towards J20.
Traffic maps provided by National Highways show that the event is expected to clear by around 7pm, when normal traffic conditions should also return.
National Highways has warned of lengthy traffic delays along the M6
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However, given the changing nature of the traffic conditions, it is likely that delays could extend beyond this time.
National Highways added: "If this incident impacts on your planned route, please allow extra journey time.
"Plan ahead, you may wish to re-route or even delay your journey," the organisation posted on its official website.
It also issued a serious warning to any people travelling to the popular music festival, Creamfields, which is taking place in Daresbury from Thursday until Sunday.
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It comes as National Highways issued a fresh warning to motorists travelling to other music festivals this weekend, including Reading and Leeds.
National Highways Operations Manager Dave Skupski said: "Leeds Festival has a significant impact on traffic on our network. We’re expecting the roads to be extra busy, with it also being a Bank Holiday weekend.
"Our message to anyone heading to the festival or using those key routes around Leeds over the weekend is follow signs for the festival, pay attention to updated electronic signage, don’t rely on satnavs, take extra care through roadworks, and plan ahead - don’t underestimate how busy the roads will be."
With hundreds of thousands of motorists heading to festivals over the Bank Holiday weekend, road conditions could worsen.
Many drivers will be stuck in the 'very heavy congestion' for around 90 minutes
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The RAC has predicted that around 18 million leisure trips could be taken by Britons trying to take advantage of the last long weekend of the year.
Nick Mullender, RAC mobile servicing and repairs team leader, added: "More traffic on the roads will inevitably lead to more vehicle breakdowns, especially if the sun makes an appearance and people decide on the day to visit popular destinations.
"We're expecting major roads to airports and coastal destinations to be extremely busy, especially the South East and South West regions which could end up bearing the brunt of most holiday hold-ups.
"Anyone planning routes through these areas should set off as early as possible or be prepared to spend longer in traffic."