There are huge tailbacks and drivers have been advised to avoid the area and plan alternative routes.

The Highways Agency said they were made aware of the incident by the police at 3.30pm.

A spokesman said he understood the vehicle was parked in the car park of the northbound side of Corley services.

In a statement Warwickshire Police said: “Police are dealing with an incident on the M6 motorway near Corley services.

“The motorway has been closed in both directions and motorists are advised to find alternative routes.”

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Speaking at a press conference, Mr Rigby said they tried to get hold of the 25-year-old but could not reach him.

He said: “Really as soon as it came on the news on television, obviously we didn’t know it was Lee but your heart skips a beat when you see something like that on TV, you know your son is in that area.

“As soon as it was on the telly we were attempting to get hold of Lee, obviously we couldn’t and it was the middle of the night probably when we got confirmed to us it was Lee.”

Drummer Rigby’s wife, Rebecca, spoke of the shock of losing her husband, who served with distinction in Afghanistan, on British soil saying: “You don’t expect it to happen when he’s in the UK. You think they’re safe.”

She added: “His proudest moments were serving in London on the ceremonials with the drum corps.”

Mrs Rigby, 30, said her husband had been due home to Langley, in Middleton, Greater Manchester, at the weekend so they could “continue our future together as a family” with their two-year-old son Jack.

She said that she was proud to be his wife, adding: “He was a devoted father to our son Jack and we will both miss him terribly.”

The pair were speaking at the Regimental headquarters of Drummer Rigby’s unit, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, at Bury, Greater Manchester, alongside Drummer Rigby’s mother Lyn, his sister Sara McClure, 24, and aunt and uncle Elaine and Ray Dutton.

His younger sisters were not there.

Mr Rigby, 54, read out a statement on behalf of all of the family, who were greatly distressed but had chosen to pay tribute. He said: “What can we say about Lee, our hero, we are so so proud of Lee.

“When Lee was born the family adored him, he was a precious gift given to us.”

He told how Lee had a “fiery temper” when he was young and how he used to “sit on him to calm him down till he got too big at 15, then he used to sit on me”.

And he said that his stepson had always dreamed he would join the Army.

He said that Drummer Rigby was a “family man” who was always “looking out for his wife, young son Jack and younger sisters”.

He said: “Lee was a man who loved people. He had many friends growing up in Middleton and on army duties all over the world.

“He believed life was for living and he will be sorely missed by all who knew him.

“Courtney and Amy his younger sisters wrote this for Lee: ‘Rest in Peace Lee, we loved you so much, you didn’t deserve this, you fought for your country and did it well.

“‘You will always be our hero we are just upset you left us so early. Love you Lee, goodnight.’”

And he disclosed the last text Drummer Rigby had sent to his mother, Lyn, 46, which read: “Goodnight mum, I hope you had a fantastic day today because you are the most fantastic and one in a million mum that anyone could ever wish for. Thank you for supporting me all these years, you’re not just my mum you’re my best friend. So goodnight, love you loads.”

Mr Rigby finished by saying: “We would like to say goodnight Lee, rest in peace our fallen soldier, we love you loads and words cannot describe how loved and sadly missed you will be.

“We would like to thank everybody, the police and Army for the amazing support we have received and for all the goodwill wishes we are receiving from all over the country in memory of Lee.

“Our hearts have been ripped apart from us, everyone is struggling to cope with this tragedy, so we would ask the press to respect our privacy to grieve our son’s parting as we try to come to terms with this.”

The results of a post-mortem examination failed to confirm the cause of death of Drummer Rigby, from 2nd Battalion, the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers.

He was hit with a car before being hacked to death on Wednesday afternoon in Woolwich, south east London.

Two men, Michael Adeboloja, 28, originally from Romford in Essex, and Michael Oluwatobi Adebowale, 22, of Greenwich in southeast London, were shot and arrested at the scene.

In a video filmed at the scene, Adeboloja, who is holding a bloodied meat cleaver, can be heard saying: “We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.

“I apologise that women have had to witness this today, but in our land our women have to see the same. You people will never be safe. Remove your Government, they don’t care about you.”

The men are being treated in hospital for non life-threatening injuries under police guard.

The Muslim Council of Britain has reiterated its condemnation of the “barbaric attack”.

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Other witnesses say the pair made a number of threats.

Essex Police have confirmed that two men aged 30 and 41 have been arrested on suspicion of endangerment of an aircraft after the plane landed safely at Stansted.

There are understood to have been 297 passengers on board flight PK709, who were travelling from Lahore. All passengers are said to be well.

The aircraft – due to land at 1.30pm – was heading west towards Manchester when it was suddenly re-routed near York and headed back out to the North Sea, before travelling south to Stansted.

The aircraft diverted after it sent out a standard emergency code which alerted the Ministry of Defence and the police.

Passengers were originally told they were being diverted because of bad weather.

An Essex Police spokeswoman confirmed: “An incident has occurred on an aircraft. Police and partners are responding.”

Mashood Takwar, from Pakistan International Airlines, told Sky News that 25 minutes before landing Manchester air traffic control   had contacted the pilot after receiving information from British security services.

An MoD spokesman earlier confirmed that Typhoon jets had been scrambled from RAF Coningsby in Lincolnshire.

The aircraft is being held in an isolated stand at Stansted but the airport is operating as normal.

Stansted, along with Glasgow Prestwick, is one of two UK airports designated to deal with emergency situations such as terror threats and has specially-trained teams.

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The posting appeared two days after a November 2 Newsnight report wrongly implicated the former Conservative Party treasurer in  allegations of sex abuse at Bryn Estyn children’s home in the 1970s and 1980s.

Mrs Bercow has always denied that the tweet – “Why is Lord McAlpine trending? *Innocent face*” – was defamatory, and has apologised publicly and privately to the former Conservative Party treasurer for the distress caused to him.

But lawyers for Lord McAlpine, who received six-figure payouts from the BBC and ITV, claim the post pointed “the finger of blame” at him.

The pair have been locked in a court battle for months, and Wednesday’s hearing was to determine the meaning of the tweet.

Responding to the judgement, Mrs Bercow said she was “surprised and disappointed”.

“However, I will accept the ruling as the end of the matter. I remain sorry for the distress I have caused Lord McAlpine and I repeat my apologies,” she said.

“I have accepted an earlier offer his lawyers made to settle this matter.”

She further added that she very much regretted the tweet which she said was not tweeted “with malice”, but “was being conversational and mischievous, as was so often my style on Twitter”.

Her statement said: “Lord McAlpine issued proceedings and the last few months have been a nightmare. I am sure he has found it as stressful as I have. Litigation is not a pleasant experience for anyone.

It added: “Today’s ruling should be seen as a warning to all social media users. Things can be held to be seriously defamatory, even when you do not intend them to be defamatory and do not make any express accusation. On this, I have learned my own lesson the hard way.

“I would like to thank my legal team for their wise counsel and my family and friends for their unequivocal support throughout the last few months.”

Mr Justice Tugendhat said that in its natural and ordinary meaning, the tweet meant that Lord McAlpine was a paedophile who was guilty of sexually abusing boys living in care.

“In my judgement, the reasonable reader would understand the words ‘innocent face’ as being insincere and ironical,” he said.

He added that, if he was wrong about that, he would find that it bore an innuendo meaning to the same effect.

Andrew Reid, of RMPI Solicitors, representing Lord McAlpine, said: “The apologies previously received from Mrs Bercow did not concede that her tweet was defamatory. Clearly she must now accept this fact.

“The failure of Mrs Bercow to admit that her tweet was defamatory caused considerable unnecessary pain and suffering to Lord McAlpine and his family over the past six months.

“With knowledge of the judgement, I am pleased to be able to say that Mrs Bercow has finally seen sense and has accepted an offer of settlement, which Lord McAlpine made back in January.”

He added: “Mr Justice Tugendhat’s judgement is one of great public interest and provides both a warning to, and guidance for, people who use social media. It highlights how established legal principles apply to social media, and how the courts take account of the particular way in which social media operates when reaching decisions on whether publications are defamatory.”

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The 25-year-old soldier was also a “loving son, husband, father, brother and uncle”. He leaves behind a two-year old son, Jack.

His family said: “Lee was lovely. He would do anything for anybody, he always looked after his sisters and always protected them. He took a ‘big brother’ role with everyone.

“All he wanted to do from when he was a little boy was be in the Army. He wanted to live life and enjoy himself. His family meant everything to him.”

He grew up in Middleton, Greater Manchester, in a community where he was well known and people were proud of his Army achievements.

The Rt Rev Mark Davies, the Bishop of Middleton, said: “The nation has been shocked by Lee’s death. But the greatest burden is carried by those he knew and loved. Our prayers and sympathies are with his family, friends and those he served with.”

His colleagues in 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers said he was as an “extremely popular and witty soldier” who had a “larger than life personality” and was a passionate, lifelong Manchester United fan.

Lieutenant Colonel Jim Taylor, the commanding officer of the 2nd Fusiliers, described him as a “true warrior” who served with distinction in Afghanistan.

“Drummer Rigby was a dedicated and professional soldier,” he said. “He was a real character within the 2nd Fusiliers. Larger than life, he was at the heart of our Corps of Drums.”

“Riggers was what every battalion needs,” added Warrant Officer Ned Miller, the Regimental Sergeant Major of the 2nd Fusiliers.

“He was one of the Battalion’s great characters – always smiling and always ready to brighten the mood.”

Drummer Rigby served in Afghanistan in 2009 and was also posted to Cyprus and Germany.

His battalion is currently training in Cyprus, but he was on attachment to its London headquarters as a recruiter.

The vicar who married Drummer Rigby and his wife, Rebecca, said the young soldier was very aware of the risks of joining the Army.

Father Guy Jamieson of St Anne’s Church in Southowram, West Yorkshire, said: “He was somebody who spoke very openly, very easily and quietly. A little bit of humour here and there.

“We were very aware he was entering into two enormous commitments. One was with the military. One was with his marriage.

“We were very aware of the kind of increased risk factor that was involved.

“We often talked about the way in which he would more than likely be sent overseas at some stage in the early years of his married life.”

But in the end it was not in Afghanistan that Drummer Rigby was to lose his life, but on a street in Woolwich.

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Both runways were shut at the West London airport where London Fire Brigade confirmed that they had attended to an “aircraft fire.”

Clive Cook, who lives under the flight path, told Sky News: “The actual engine itself was on fire.

“This plane was coming over and suddenly the tone of the engine changed dramatically, and I could almost say it sounded as if it was like a blowout, or an explosion.”

What happened is not thought to be terror related and all passengers are safe.

Sky News presenter Jeremy Thompson was on a different flight coming into Heathrow and said that the pilot told them that they were being held up by a “bird strike” on a plane.

A statement from British Airways said: “The BA762, Heathrow to Oslo service, returned back to Heathrow shortly after take-off due to a technical fault.

“The Airbus A319 aircraft was carrying 75 customers. The aircraft landed safely and emergency slides were deployed and we are currently caring for our customers.

“Emergency services attended the aircraft. We will be carrying out a full investigation into the incident.”

One picture shared on Twitter appears to show the engine that was not on fire exposed as it is overworked.

Commenting on the damage to the covering around that engine, aviation safety investigator, David Gleave, said: “It’s not got much structural strength in it at all so it doesn’t affect the ability of the aeroplane to actually hold onto its engine and keep it on the wing.”

The plane has been towed off the northern runway which remains shut but the southern runway has reopened.

Travel expert Simon Calder said: “There is now massive disruption at Heathrow.”

He added that British Airways planes coming into land have been diverted to Cardiff, Stansted and even Manston Airport in Kent.

The fire came at the start of one of the year’s busiest travel periods as people head abroad for the Bank Holiday weekend.

Passengers at the airport have been told to expect delays of up to an hour.

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The two-week study by Liverpool John Moores University Business School looked at more than 830 scenes from Coronation Street, EastEnders, Emmerdale and Hollyoaks.

The researchers found 72% of the food consumed, or referred to, was unhealthy and exercise was only shown or mentioned four times across the entire two-week period.

To make matters worse, the only character shown eating fruit – Minute Mart co-owner, Denise Fox, in EastEnders – is seen eating a tangerine while lying on the floor drunk.

Doireann Maddock, senior cardiac nurse at the British Heart Foundation, said the programme makers are putting their characters at an increased risk of an on-screen heart attack or stroke.

“Walford, Coronation Street and Emmerdale would be much healthier places if their famous residents were served up a more balanced diet, got active and drank only the recommended amount of alcohol when the cameras are rolling,” she said.

But the study has been criticised by Michael Walton, emeritus professor at the University of Hull’s drama department, who said history shows audiences enjoy watching people eating and drinking too much.

“Unhealthy eating has a long dramatic pedigree,” he said, citing ancient Greek comedy and Roman writer Petronius who spent 50 chapters describing a single excessive feast.

“It is doubtful if Emmerdale has either the ambition, audience or budget to emulate that,” he suggested.

Dr Aric Sigman, a psychologist involved in health education, said watching so much unhealthy activity could encourage soap viewers to copy it.

“While we hate to admit it, we are influenced by what we see on TV, yet the effects are subliminal and we’re not aware of it,” he said.

“Children and young people are influenced even more than we are by the role modelling and ‘normal’ behaviours and habits they see on TV.”

The Co-operative Food, which funded the study to promote healthy eating, says it wants programme makers to present “a more balanced picture”.

But Professor Walton is not convinced.

“I very much doubt anyway if there is much dramatic mileage in sensible lifestyles,” he said.

“Drama has to have some plotlines, a balance of characters and situations. Different lifestyles are a part of the general context and always have been.”

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The Metropolitan Police said they had been taken to a south London police station where they were being interviewed.

The Met said: “This is a large, complex and fast-moving investigation which continues to develop. Many lines of enquiry are being followed by detectives and the investigation is progressing well.”

The two terror suspects thought to be responsible for Drummer Rigby’s death are still in hospital in a stable condition with non-life threatening injuries, having been shot by officers at the scene.

They have been named in reports as Michael Adebolajo, 28, originally from Romford, Essex, and Michael Oluwatobi Adebowale, 22, of Greenwich, southeast London.

Video footage has emerged showing the moment the two terror suspects were shot by armed response officers from the Met Police.

The two men can be seen brandishing weapons in broad daylight as they confronted officers following the killing of the 25-year-old serving soldier.

The footage, which appears to have taken from a nearby block of flats, shows the two men walking along a footpath before one splits off and runs full speed towards a marked police car, dropping a bladed weapon as a voice shouts orders to him to “drop it”.

Just inches before the man reaches the car officers shoot fire two shoots as they are getting out of the vehicle, and the man spins away and falls to the ground.

The second man sidles along a fence on the footpath, pointing what appears to be a gun at the officers, who surround the man lying prone on the floor.

Four more shots ring out, felling the second man, and another two shots are also fired as the men lie on the floor – eight shots in total.

Screams can be heard as the men are filmed on the ground and the officers swarm around the pair. One of the officers appears to drop a Taser stun gun and attempt to draw a weapon as they detain them.

The Independent Police Complaints Commission said it was not pursuing any criminal or misconduct offences in relation to the officers who used their weapons.

IPCC investigators have viewed CCTV of what happened, and said two officers fired guns and one discharged a Taser.

Drummer Rigby, who was married and had a two-year-old son, was described by his family as “a loving son, husband, father, brother and uncle”.

“Lee was lovely. He would do anything for anybody, he always looked after his sisters and always protected them. He took a ‘big brother’ role with everyone,” his family said in a statement.

“All he wanted to do from when he was a little boy, was be in the Army. He wanted to live life and enjoy himself. His family meant everything to him.”

His colleagues in 2nd Battalion the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers said he was as an “extremely popular and witty soldier” who had a “larger than life personality” and was a passionate, lifelong Manchester United fan.

Lieutenant Colonel Jim Taylor, Commanding Officer of the 2nd Fusiliers, described him as a “true warrior” who served with distinction in Afghanistan.

“Drummer Rigby was a dedicated and professional soldier,” he said. “He was a real character within the 2nd Fusiliers. Larger than life, he was at the heart of our Corps of Drums.”

“Riggers was what every battalion needs,” added Warrant Officer Ned Miller, Regimental Sergeant Major of the 2nd Fusiliers. “He was one of the Battalion’s great characters – always smiling and always ready to brighten the mood.”

Drummer Rigby, from Manchester, served in Afghanistan in 2009 and was also posted to Cyprus and Germany.

His battalion is currently training in Cyprus but he was on attachment to its London headquarters as a recruiter.

Drummer Rigby’s suspected killers, who are British and of Nigerian descent, are being held under armed guard at separate hospitals in London.

They were both known to the security services but were assessed by MI5 as not posing a threat requiring “immediate intervention”, Government sources said.

Meanwhile, US president Barack Obama has added his voice to those condemning the murder.

He said: “I condemn in the strongest terms the appalling attack against a British service member in Woolwich on May 22.

“The United States stands resolute with the United Kingdom, our ally and friend, against violent extremism and terror. There can be absolutely no justification for such acts, and our thoughts and prayers are with the family of the victim, the police and security services responding to this horrific act and the communities they serve, and the British people.”

His comments come after Prime Minister David Cameron said the attack had “sickened” the country.

He said: “This country will be absolutely resolute in its stand against violent extremism and terror. We will never give in to terror or terrorism in any of its forms.”

 :: Police have issued an appeal for anyone who has still or moving images of the incident to send them to: woolwich@metincident.co.uk

They asked anyone sending in images to include their name and contact details, which they said would be treated in the strictest confidence. Alternatively, those with footage can contact the police’s anti-terrorist hotline on 0800 789321.

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The office has called for urgent action to “develop children’s resilience to pornography” after discovering that a “significant” number of them have access to sexually explicit images, both online and offline.

Maggie Atkinson, Children’s Commissioner for England, said: “We are living at a time when violent and sadistic imagery is readily available to very young children, even if they do not go searching for it, their friends may show it to them or they may stumble on it while using the internet.

“For years we have applied age restrictions to films at the cinema but now we are permitting access to far more troubling imagery via the internet. It is a risky experiment to allow a generation of young people to be raised on a diet of pornography.”

The office recommended that the Department for Education (DfE) ensure all schools deliver effective relationship and sex education, which should include safe use of the internet.

In another recommendation, the report concluded that the DfE should rename ‘sex and relationships education’ to ‘relationships and sex education’.

The recommendations echo calls made by the End Violence Against Women coalition to make sex and relationships education compulsory in secondary schools.

A survey conducted by the National Association of Head Teachers recently found that many parents believe schools should teach children about the dangers of pornography as soon as they are old enough to use the internet.

It also revealed that most parents do not want it to be left to them alone to educate their youngsters about the issue, and a large proportion think that pupils as young as five or six should be given lessons on the subject.

Dr Miranda Horvath, a senior lecturer at Middlesex University, which led the review of academic evidence, said: “It is clear that children and young people want and need safe spaces in which they can ask questions about, and discuss their experiences with pornography.

“The onus must be on adults to provide them with evidence-based education and support and help them to develop healthy, not harmful relationships with one another.

“When pornography is discussed, it is often between groups of people with polarised moral views on the subject. Rather than adopting a particular ideological stance, this report uses evidence-based research to draw its conclusions and further the debate.”

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Witnesses said he was attacked by two men with a number of weapons, including knives and a meat cleaver, while they shouted the name of “Allah”.

Defence Secretary Philip Hammond said everyone had been “shocked and saddened” by Drummer Rigby’s death.

“This was a senseless murder of a soldier who has served the army faithfully in a variety of roles including operational tours in Afghanistan,” he said.

“Our thoughts today are with his family and loved ones who are trying to come to terms with this terrible loss.”

Sky News understands Drummer Rigby, from Manchester, had served two tours in Afghanistan, the latest of which was in 2009.

His batallion is currently training in Cyprus but he was on attachment to the London headquarters as a recruiter.

General Sir David Richards, chief of defence staff, said: “Our first thoughts are with the soldier’s family and close friends.

“It’s always a tragedy but it’s particularly poignant that it happened on the streets of our capital city.”

One of the suspects in the murder of Drummer Rigby has been identified as Michael Adeboloja, a 28-year-old Londoner of Nigerian descent.

He and another man are being held under armed guard at separate hospitals in London.

They were both known to the security services but were assessed by MI5 as not posing a threat requiring “immediate intervention”, Government sources said.

Police investigating the attack have been searching a flat in Greenwich and a house in Lincolnshire, believed to be connected to Adeboloja.

Witness accounts have continued to emerge about the moment terror returned to the streets of London.

One passer-by filmed Adeboloja holding a bloodied meat cleaver and saying: “We must fight them as they fight us. An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

“I apologise that women have had to witness this today but in our land our women have to see the same,” he added. “You people will never be safe. Remove your government, they don’t care about you.”

Ingrid Loyau-Kenned, a cub scout leader and mother-of-two, recalled the moment she confronted the alleged attackers and warned them: “You are going to lose.”

Another witness, identified as James Heneghan, said the soldier had been attacked with kitchen knives like he was “a piece of meat”.

“They were hacking at this poor guy, literally,” he told LBC radio.

Meanwile, Prime Minister David Cameron chaired a second emergency meeting of the Government’s Cobra committee.

Speaking afterwards, he said: “The people who did this were trying to divide us. They should know something like this will only bring us together and make us stronger.

“One of the best ways of defeating terrorism is to go about our normal lives.”

Elsewhere, the Muslim Council of Britain said it had received “reports of hate attacks and abuse faced by mosques and individual Muslims following the inexcusable and criminal murder”.

The group called for solidarity between “all our communities, Muslim and non-Muslim”.

Riot police had to contain an English Defence League demonstration in Woolwich, while two mosques were attacked.

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