A Land Rover breaks down on the M54 in Shropshire leaving a woman, her mum, three-year-old son, nine-month-old twins and a dog stranded on the verge as high speed traffic speeds by.
It’s just one of many West Midlands incidents to feature in the new series of The Motorway – the behind the scenes look at the work of National Highways – which starts on Channel 5 on Wednesday 1 May.
The series coincides with the 20th anniversary of National Highway’s traffic officer front-line service, which first went live in the West Midlands on 26 April 2004.
Traffic Officers Lee Henderson and Aries Banton were despatched to the breakdown on the M54 between junctions 2 and 3.
Lee, who has been with National Highways for five-and-a-half years and works out of the Bescot outstation, said:
“When we arrived we found the car on the hard shoulder and everyone but the dog on the verge. Although recovery was on the way we stayed with the family and put out cones and hazard signs to warn other motorists.”
When recovery arrived on scene it was found the truck didn’t have the necessary fittings to secure the children’s car seats so mum Joanna called her dad to come and help.
Lee, who helped Joanna get the seats out of her stricken vehicle while calming her black Labrador sitting in the passenger footwell, added:
“It was lucky he wasn’t far away as it meant he could take the grandchildren home while his wife and daughter went in the recovery truck. She had got a real balancing act on her hands so it was important we stayed with everyone to make sure they were safe. Sometimes it’s not about the big jobs. It’s the little jobs that can make a big difference to someone in their moment of need.
“It’s what we do day in, day out and we are always happy to help.”
The incident can be seen in the fifth episode of series four of the popular documentary which runs for ten weeks.
Other stories include a lorry which crashes through the central barrier on the M6 at junction 10 near Walsall, a five-vehicle crash at Spaghetti Junction, an intoxicated pedestrian spotted walking down a slip road who then lashes out at the traffic officer sent to help them, and a crew sent to retrieve the contents of a suitcase strewn across the M6.
Crews from production company Fearless Television spent four months filming with traffic officers, control room operators, maintenance crews, customer service teams, safety representatives and contractors across the West Midlands and North West for the show. It’s the second time the West Midlands has been the setting for the programme.
(Pic – Traffic Officer Lee Henderson, courtesy of Channel 5/Fearless Television)