Network Rail has apologised after a signalling system fault caused the barriers at the level crossing in Alsager to stay down for a period of time causing motorists to find an alternative route.

Nub News reader, David Marsh, contacted us saying he and other vehicles had been caught up in the traffic mayhem on Friday (21 November) when vehicles and pedestrians were halted at either side of the crossing at Alsager station in Sandbach Road South.

"There was major traffic disruption on Friday across the whole of Alsager, as the barriers at the station level crossing came down at about 1.40 pm and stayed stuck down for around 1.5 hours, probably due to the major signalling failure affecting all trains through Stoke-on-Trent station.

"It was a nightmare as cars tried to find different routes to get around the town."

Network Rail has apologised to motorists and pedestrians waiting to cross the road near Alsager station during the incident last Friday.

A spokesperson for Network Rail said: "Following a fault with the signalling system in the Staffordshire area on Friday (21 November), rail services experienced significant disruption.

"The issue also impacted some types of level crossings, where for safety reasons, barriers are designed to automatically close until affected signalling equipment has been restored.

"We are sorry for the inconvenience this has caused to road users, as well as train passengers."

Want to know more about Alsager?

Free from clickbait, pop-up ads and unwanted surveys, Alsager Nub News is a quality online newspaper for our town.

Please consider following Alsager Nub News on Facebook or Twitter

You can also sign up for our weekly newsletter here - it features the top five stories of the week