I’m on my way down the M1 from Northampton to Milton Keynes and the motorway has come to a halt. It’s not clear exactly what’s happened, but a bit of Googling on my phone indicates there’s an on going ‘police incident’. Apparently a suspicious object has been found under a bridge near Newport Pagnell. This started an explosive device incident. However, further investigation seems to have turned it into a chemical spillage incident. Anyway, the motorway is shut both ways between Junction 15 and J14. I joined the back of the queue about 8.30am and it’s now 11.30. People are milling around and chatting, and generally behaving well. However it’s shocking how many drivers keep their engines running. For the first couple of hours you couldn’t walk around without being assaulted by the noise, smell and fumes from three rows of diesel. Now, three hours in, most are off with just a few diehards keeping them on continuously.

Being in an electric car saves me from the noise, but unfortunately I can’t avoid breathing the fumes. I look forward to the day when we can all leave poisonous fumes in the past.