A man has died in what police have described as a “serious incident” on the M6 in Wigan, which caused the very traffic jam Luke Littler was stuck in before he was blocked from entering a Players Championship event. Littler, 18, was scheduled to appear in the Players Championship Wigan this afternoon. 

However, he was late in arriving to the Robin Park Tennis Centre, which resulted in him missing registration for the event. He went on to reveal a huge traffic jam caused him to miss the strict 11am deadline, resulting in him having to forfeit his place in the event. Darts prodigy Charlie Manby replaced Littler in the competition and caused a shock by overcoming Rob Cross 6-5 in the first round. A matter of hours after his forfeiture, Littler pinned down the tragic incident which caused the traffic jam he was stuck in. 

He uploaded a screenshot of an article from Wigan Today, which stated a man died as a result of a “tragic incident” which took place on the M6 in Wigan. Emergency services, including an air ambulance, were alerted to a concern for welfare between junction 25 towards the Bryn Interchange and junction 26, which leads to Orrell/M58 at around 10.15am. 

Greater Manchester Police released a statement which said: “Around 10.15am this morning, we were called to a concern for welfare report on the M6 between junctions 25 and 26. Sadly, a man was pronounced dead at the scene. A scene will remain in place while inquiries are ongoing.”

At around 10.40am, traffic going both directions was stopped. A matter of hous later, traffic moving on the northbound carriageway was released, while the southbound side remained closed for a little while longer. 

A spokesperson for National Highways also said at the time: “The M6 in Greater Manchester is closed southbound between J26 (M58) and J25 near Ashton due to a Police led incident.

“Emergency services including Greater Manchester Police are in attendance. National Highways Traffic Officers are also on scene. Due to the nature of the incident there is currently no estimation for when the road will be reopen.”

While the traffic jam prevented Littler from playing, it has not affected him too much. Despite not competing in Wigan, Littler still has enough points to qualify for the Players Championship finals in Minehead on November 21-23, as a result of him winning event 32 last month. 

The teenager will be able to play in event 34 at the same venue on Thursday. Littler will be looking for momentum after he was knocked out of the European Championship by James Wade. 

Fellow young darts prodigy Gian van Veen went on to win the event in Germany by beating Luke Humphries in a nail-biting final, which went to a deciding leg.