A TRAFFIC officer will star in a Channel 5 documentary which depicts the work involved in keeping the roads moving during the cold weather months.

The new series of Winter Road Rescue began this week (February 13) as the cameras followed Highways England traffic officers on duty during the winter and the incidents they respond to on some of England’s busiest motorways.

Among those featured in the new series of the documentary show is 55-year-old Barry Connolly, based at Newton-le-Willows.

Barry is one of more than 1,000 traffic officers who respond to 200,000-plus incidents each year. His base is one of 33 traffic officer outstations on the motorway network and his patch includes both the M62 and M6.

Officers can be called out to a wide range of incidents, from minor breakdowns to major collisions.

Barry, from Rainhill, who has been a traffic officer for more than 11 years, said: “It’s really rewarding helping the public and every day is different. You just never know what’s going to happen in the next five minutes.

“I hope Winter Road Rescue will help to give drivers a positive outlook on exactly what we do and why we’re here.

"Our job is to help the public and get the roads open again by clearing incidents as quickly and safely as possible.”

Meanwhile, the new series will also feature Highways England’s North West regional control centre in Newton-le-Willows, where incidents are monitored on CCTV cameras and responded to 24/7.

The episode featuring Barry will be shown on the evening of Monday, February 27.