AN elderly woman had a "lucky escape" following a five vehicle crash on the M60 this evening.

The crash happened on the slip road at junction 18 for Simister Island on the motorway's anticlockwise carriageway, at about 7.30pm.

The lady's Rover had been stuck in a lane of standing traffic when she decided to change lanes, and pulled into the path of an oncoming vehicle.

The impact of the crash caused the oncoming car to career into three other vehicles in the line of traffic.

Firefighters had to cut the lady free from her vehicle due to the damage it had sustained.

Remarkably, no one was seriously injured in the incident, with the woman escaping with no more than a cut to her eyebrow.

Several other drivers involved were treated for shock by paramedics at the scene.

Tony Wellock, watch manager at Whitefield Fire Station, explained: "The line of traffic was not moving so she decided to pull out into the second lane and was hit by another car.

"The car that hit her spun round and hit the standing traffic.

"She had a lucky escape, it was only a glancing blow.

"The door took most of the impact, but it hit her enough to spin her car round so it was facing the other way."

While the emergency services dealt with the incident, the carriageway's exit slip road was shut for a period, with all traffic being directed along the M66.