A family last night told how they survived a crash when they broke down on the M6 as it was being converted into a smart motorway.

Duncan and Ellie Montgomery were on their way to Scotland with their three daughters when they had engine trouble.

Because there was no hard shoulder, they had no choice but to sit inside their car in the slow lane.

As they were speaking to a 999 operator a lorry, travelling at between 50mph and 60mph, rammed into the back of their van.

The M6 crash left Ellie Montgomery in a neck brace but she managed to escape the carnage without serious injury

The two parents and their five-year-old daughter Rose were knocked unconscious – but none of the family suffered more than minor injuries.

Mr Montgomery told Channel 4 News he was the first to come round: ‘I firstly dragged myself back, I had a dead leg so I couldn’t really move.

‘Glass was smashed everywhere, the whole side of the van was halfway across the carriage.

'I got Rose and dragged her into the front driver’s seat where she was throwing up blood.’

FATHER'S HARROWING PHONE CALL TO 999 OPERATOR Mr Montgomery: 'So, I'm stuck int he middle of the M6 my car has broken down. Operator: 'OK, whereabouts on the M6?' Mr Montgomery: 'I'm on the left-hand lane, I've passed Knutsford. I don't have a bearing, I'm afraid.' Operator: 'OK, are you going northbound or southbound?' Mr Montgomery: 'I'm going northbound, I've got hazards on - what else can I do because I've a family of five in the car.' Operator: 'Ok, don't worry. And you say there's five people in the car. Mr Montgomery: 'Yeah. My...my. Oh s***t' Advertisement

An audio recording of the 999 call, released by the police and made public by the family, includes the moment the crash took place.

Mr Montgomery is heard telling the operator that he had stopped with his hazard lights on.

He says he was with his family, before shouting ‘Oh s***’ as a loud crash is heard.

The operator keeps asking ‘Hello?’ but there is no reply.

The crash, in which the family were stranded in a ‘live’ lane still open to traffic – just as they would have been had the smart motorway been operational, fuelled safety fears among motorists.

The couple were on their way to Scotland with their three daughters (pictured) when they had engine trouble

It happened over Christmas on part of the M6 in Cheshire where the hard shoulder was closed to prepare for a smart motorway.

Under the scheme, the hard shoulder becomes a regular lane and motorists whose cars break down need to use refuge areas a mile or more apart.

There are also extra signs and other technology which sees traffic monitored remotely.

The rear of their Volkswagen after the lorry smashed into it

But Mr Montgomery said nothing could prevent similar incidents occurring again.

He added: ‘With people up and down the country in call centres looking at the road network, there isn’t a hope that they can review things quick enough and react, let alone, enforce signs.’

A spokesman for Highways England said: ‘We put safety at the heart of everything we do.

‘This stretch of the M6 in Cheshire has ongoing roadworks in place and is not an operational smart motorway.

'There is a reduced 50mph speed limit through the roadworks along with CCTV for the safety of drivers.

‘Smart motorways have extra on-road information, emergency areas, signs and technology which means we are better able to spot people and close lanes when drivers get into difficulty.

‘Evidence shows they are equally as safe as traditional motorways, which are themselves among the safest in the world.

'Meanwhile, statistics show that in each year since 2011, more than 20 people have been killed or seriously injured on hard shoulders.’

Concerns about smart motorways have led to Highways England promising to install more emergency lay-bys where the hard shoulder has been removed.

The AA has said many drivers refused to use the old hard shoulder because they worry about hitting broken down cars.

There are 236 miles of smart motorways across England, including on sections of the M25 and the M6.