Woman dies after concern for safety incident on Surrey M23

A woman has died after Surrey Police were called to a concern for safety incident on the M23 on Wednesday (September 10). In a statement Surrey Police[1] has said that they were called to the the M23 southbound between junctions 8 and 9, near Gatwick Airport[2], just after 6am on Wednesday morning to reports of a pedestrian on the motorway. South East Coast Ambulance Service attended but sadly the pedestrian, a woman in her 50s, was pronounced dead on the carriageway.

Her next of kin have been informed. A police investigation into the circumstances of her death is now underway. No arrests have been made.

As a result of the incident there was initially a full closure of the M23 which has been gradually reopened throughout the day. A spokesperson for Surrey Police said: "The M23 was subject to a full closure between junctions 8 and 9 for an extended period of time. We thank people for their patience and understanding.

"The northbound carriageway fully reopened shortly after 8am. Lanes 3 and 4 of the southbound carriageway were opened at 2pm. "Lanes 1 and 2 remain closed and are expected to remain so for several hours."

Surrey Police is making a mandatory referral to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) due to police contact with the deceased in the days prior to the incident.

References

1. ^ Surrey Police (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
2. ^ Gatwick Airport (www.getsurrey.co.uk)
3. ^ Surrey M23 delays to Gatwick continue with lanes still closed after police incident - live updates (www.getsurrey.co.uk)