DAYS after the London to South Wales part of the M4 including the Swindon stretch was named the country's second favourite motorway, a survey has discovered the nation's most hated highway.

The title has gone to the M6, with more than half the people questioned saying the stretch between Birmingham and the north west is the worst for congestion. London's orbital, the M25, was named as the second worst stretch of road, with the M60, around Manchester, in third. The M1, the M8 between Glasgow and Edinburgh and the A1 between Yorkshire and the North East attracted a lot of votes.

Although a £7bn package of improvements was promised by the Transport Secretary in 2003 to keep traffic flowing on major roads such as the M25 and M1, the misery continues for many.

David Cook, operations director at Virgin Cars, which conducted the poll, said: "With the introduction of the M6 toll road, we anticipated this stretch of motorway would prove more popular in our poll, however the scheme has not found favour with most."

"It's not just the actions of other drivers which can cause road rage between motorists, as our survey reveals that thousands of drivers are losing their temper due to increased congestion on our roads."