DRIVERS the country over are united in hatred — of the M6 motorway.

I'm not sure what it is about this particular motorway that evokes such strong emotions.

But I am yet to find a motorist who doesn't drive on it — and then say how much they hate it.

I use the M6 a lot. Mainly to drive even further “ooop North” to visit my family.

It actually isn't so bad heading northbound, I mean you couldn't describe is as enjoyable, but it's generally pretty quiet — unless it's a bank holiday and the entire country seems to decamp to the Lake District.

But southbound is an entirely different matter.

The queuing traffic seems to start somewhere near Stoke — I cannot imagine what so very many people are doing travelling to Stoke — and continues right the way down.

On a recent trip “dahn sarf” I seemed to be stuck in endless traffic for most of the weekend.

Fine, I could have alleviated some of the pain by using the toll road, but this really annoys me.

I mean, we pay road tax, so why should we have to cough up yet more cash to drive on a road that we have (presumably) already paid to be built with our road tax.

Not only that, the non-toll M6 seems to have been riddled with roadworks for the best part of 10 years.

Now, as I travel “dahn sarf” fairly regularly, at different times of the day and indeed even week, I don't think there is actually any “work” going on around these roadworks as I have never, ever seen a single person working on them.

I can't help but think the endless traffic cones, closed lanes and 40mph speed restrictions are simply a ploy to force people on to the toll road.

The other — and by far most annoying — problem with the M6 are some of the daft drivers who use it.

Highways bosses have helpfully decided to flash messages urging people NOT to drive in the overtaking lanes, unless they're overtaking.

Seems pretty simple to me. And I firmly believe if you can't grasp the concept then you should definitely not be behind the wheel of a car, let alone driving at speed on a motorway.

But hundreds of drivers can't seem to understand that pottering along in the fast lane at 55mph is not only infuriating to other motorists — but appalling driving.

Next time, I think I'll just get the train.