Sharon offers the inside story of keeping motorways safe

Sharon Mitchell is affectionately known as “Mum” to National Highways colleagues

An unassuming heroine safeguarding travellers on motorways has revealed her personal formula for dealing with traumatised crash victims.

Sharon Mitchell, affectionately known as “Mum” to National Highways colleagues, helps provide seven day a week cover on the motorways around Oldham and Manchester from Milnrow.

The mother of five takes a pivotal part in the opening episode of the latest gripping series showing the behind the scenes work of the motorway which launches on Channel 5 at 8pm on Wednesday, May 1.

Sharon said: “When you are on the scene and a car is all smashed up in the fourth lane, people don’t want you coming all profesional and shouting and telling them what to do.

“They need someone calm, they need someone to help - and I like to think that’s what we are there for.

“You get used to incidents which people see as quite stressful and dramatic, but I’m always happy to give them a hug and calm them down.”

Sharon and team-mate Tony Monaghan feature in a scene from January when a wheel falls off a lorry and hits a car, leaving its three occupants badly shaken on the M62 near Rochdale.

That is just one of many North West incidents to featured in the new 10-part TV which coincides with the 20th anniversary of National Highway’s traffic officer front-line service, which first went live on April 26, 2004.

And as a counterpoint, she outlined a driver leaving his car on the first lane of a motorway to pick flowers.

Said Sharon: “We immediately activated the red warning signs and dropped behind the vehicle to protect him.

“The gentlemen was in a field picking yellow flowers because he said he’s never seen anything as pretty in his life.

"He didn’t understand…he’d put himself and others in danger.”

The Motorway returns on May 1 and will be available to watch on Channel 5 or My5 on catch-up.

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