The M62 near Bradford was closed in both directions this evening because police believed a man was about to throw himself off a bridge.

Officers shut both sides of the motorway near junction 26 (Chain Bar) for about five minutes at 7.15pm. The man was on a bridge where Turnsteads Avenue and Whitechapel Road cross over the motorway between Scholes and Cleckheaton, said police.

A police spokesman said: “A person was stood on the bridge that police assumed was planning to jump. The motorway was closed for the person’s wellbeing and for motorists’ safety as well.”

He added: “The person was assisted away safely by officers.”

Traffic jams built up quite quickly as a result of the closure, added the spokesman.