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06th Oct 2018

Man brings M1 to a halt for several hours after climbing on top of traffic sign

Kyle Picknell

The man, funnily enough, is called Phil Jones. Clearly isn’t taking all this Mourinho drama too well at all

A man named Phillip Jones climbed up onto a traffic road sign on the M1 on August 30 and singlehandedly shut the motorway down in both directions for half an hour.

It has been confirmed by police that he inadvertently delayed thousands of commuters near the Junction 23 section of the motorway, just outside of Loughborough.

He appeared in court on Wednesday to explain his actions, as reported by Leicester Live.

Image courtesy of Leicester police

Jones told Leicester Crown Court that he had nine pints of beer after finishing work at a pub nearby. He then saw the sign, advising vehicles to slow, on his way home, and decided to climb up it to “enjoy the view”.

He was discovered by police officers at around 5:30 am, by which point he had been sat up there for around 45 minutes.

Phillip Plant, prosecuting, said: “He said he’d been walking home and when he saw the matrix sign he was curious to see how high it was. When he got to the top he thought he might jump, although made no attempt to do so. He said it was a spontaneous decision and he didn’t think about the disruption it would cause.”

Nathan Palmer, who was defending Jones, stated that his client wasn’t in the right mind and simply didn’t consider the inconvenience his actions might cause.

Jones admitted to a public nuisance offence and was sentenced to eight months in jail, which was suspended for 18 months, and will have to complete 240 hours of unpaid community service. He was also made to cover costs amounting to £250.

Still. I bet he had a great view of… er… the endless stretch of the M1 motorway just outside Loughborough?

No. Me neither.

Topics:

Motorway,News