Excitement on the way to Middlewich

Actually, the excitement, such as it was, happened on the M6 on the way to Anderton to pick up the boat.
Speed limit signs of 50mph had been showing since just south of Preston and for once most people were slowing down. Then, near the turn off for Wigan, two police cars pulled off the hard shoulder in front of me  and with blue lights flashing slowed the traffic down to thirty. We carried on for a few miles like this and then, suddenly, a car raced up the hard shoulder and passed us,all on the nearside, swiftly pursued by two more police vehicles
The police cars leading the convoy pulled aside and let them through and then set off in hot pursuit, leaving one further police car to control the convoy.
We carried on at 30mph for another few miles but never saw the outcome of the chase as after a while the leading police car accelerated away and left us to our own devices.
The trip to Middlewich was quiet by comparison, enlivened only by meeting preserved working boat Rudd, resplendent in blue and yellow British Waterways livery at Wincham.
A cruiser overtook me just outside the town and was just leaving the Big Lock as I arrived at the bottom, so I had to work through single-handed before tying-up outside the Park and heading off into town to try out a few pubs