AN OVERTURNED trailer full of cows brought motorway traffic to a standstill yesterday afternoon.

The trailer and jeep jackknifed at about 1pm while coming down a hill on the M61 southbound between junction 6 and 7.

Police closed the road in both directions, fearing that the cattle may escape the trailer and cause chaos wandering around the carriageway.

The road was re-opened northbound after 30 minutes, but the southbound carriageway remained closed for more than an hour while police and firefighters cleared the animals and the vehicle from the road.

No-one was hurt and all the cows survived the incident.