More vehicles used the road on 23 July than on any other single day

Operators Midlands Expressway Ltd (MEL) accepted that problems on the M6 near Birmingham helped to attract a daily average of more than 55,000 vehicles.

A total of 71,761 vehicles used the M6 Toll on 23 July - a record for one day.

MEL said the July figures were an 80% increase on January, the road's first full month in operation.

Managing director Tom Fanning said: "Traffic for the M6 Toll has maintained its upward trend, with the average daily figure for July 2004 reaching 55,308.

"This is a 15% increase on the previous month, and is some 80% ahead of January, which was our first full month."

Mr Fanning admitted that resurfacing work being carried out around Spaghetti Junction had had some impact on the daily figures, but said it was impossible to say to what extent.