THE M6 in Cumbria has been named as England's favourite road to drive on in a snap survey.

The online poll, carried out by Highways England, asked people to name their favourite stretch of road, with the M6 from Preston to Penrith landing joint-first place.

It finished alongside the M1 in Leicestershire, followed by the M5 in the south west near Taunton in third.

The A1 in Northumberland came in fourth place and the M62 near Chainbar in Yorkshire in sixth.

The survey results come ahead of the late May bank holiday when Highways England lifts as many roadworks as possible at a popular time for travel.

The company’s teams will be working around the clock to remove more than 700 miles of roadworks - meaning about 97 per cent of motorways and major A roads will be roadworks-free from 6am Friday, May 24 until 12.01am on Tuesday, May 28.

Highways England’s customer service director, Melanie Clarke, said: “Many people have a favourite road they love driving on – and we want everyone to reach their destinations safely.

“We’re doing everything we can to make journeys as smooth as possible for those travelling and that’s why we’re keeping around 97 per cent of the road network we manage, free from roadworks.

“Safety is our top priority and we know from experience that almost half of breakdowns can easily be avoided if motorists carry out simple vehicle checks before setting off over this period.”