M5 traffic LIVE as police shut motorway in both directions near Bristol

A major UK motorway closed in both direction this morning. A welfare-related incident led to the closure of a stretch of the M5 near Bristol[1], Avon and Somerset Police[2] said. The road closed between Junction 18 (Avonmouth) and Junction 19 (Portbury) while emergency services attended the incident.

There were several miles of congestion on both the southbound and northbound carriageways, National Highways[3] said.

12:42Eliana Nunes

Delays have cleared

Inrix has said: "Long delays cleared, Earlier police incident on M5 Northbound from J20 B3133 Ettlingen Way ( Clevedon ) to J18 M49. Previous congestion to J21 ( Weston-super-mare ). All lanes have been re-opened."

11:25Eliana Nunes

Long delays remain

Traffic monitoring site Inrix has said: "Long delays due to earlier police incident on M5 Northbound from J20 B3133 Ettlingen Way ( Clevedon ) to J18 M49.

Congestion to J21 ( Weston-super-mare ). All lanes have been re-opened."

11:22Eliana Nunes

All lanes reopen

All lanes are now being reopened on the M5 in both directions between Junction 18 (Avonmouth) and Junction 19 (Portbury).

All lanes are now being re-opened on the #M5 in both directions between J18 #Avonmouth and J19 #Portbury[4][5][6] The earlier @ASPRoadSafety[7] led incident has been cleared

Delays of approx.

30 minutes remain both ways, 4 miles of congestion northbound + 3 miles southbound pic.twitter.com/RV23GsM56o[8]

-- National Highways: South-West (@HighwaysSWEST) March 17, 2026[9]10:54Eliana Nunes

All lanes reopen on southbound carriageway

Traffic monitoring site Inrix has said: "Long delays due to earlier police incident on M5 Northbound from J20 B3133 Ettlingen Way ( Clevedon ) to J18 M49. Congestion to J21 ( Weston-super-mare ). All lanes have been re-opened."

10:49Eliana Nunes

Delays of 45 minutes northbound

National Highways says there are delays of 45 minutes against normal traffic northbound, as well as 30 minutes of delays southbound on the approach to the diversion points.

Motorists are advised to plan their journeys in advance and allow extra time.

10:36KEY EVENT

Southbound diversion route

National Highways has advised motorists travelling on the M5 southbound to follow the hollow circle symbol on road signs:

• Exit the M5 at J18A onto the Avonmouth Spur road
• Take the slip road towards Portway roundabout
• Take the 2nd exit onto the A4
• Continue south on the A4 (this will take you through the clean are zone, Bristol Council have confirmed the clean air zone has been switched off for this closure) to Gurney roundabout
• Take the 1st exit onto the A4174 South Bristol Link road and continue until you reach Lime Kiln roundabout
• Take the 3rd exit onto the A38
• Continue south on the A38 to East Brent
• At the East Brent roundabout, take the 1st exit onto Bristol Road
• At the next roundabout, take the 1st exit to re-join the M5 at J22

10:34KEY EVENT

Northbound diversion route

National Highways has advised motorists travelling on the M5 northbound to follow the solid triangle symbol:

• From J21 head east on the A370
• Then continue north on the A4 (this will take you through the clean air zone, Bristol Council has confirmed the clean air zone has been switched off for this closure)
• Rejoin the M5 at J18A

10:32Eliana Nunes

Latest from Inrix

Traffic monitoring site Inrix has said: "M5 Northbound closed, long delays due to police incident from J20 B3133 Ettlingen Way ( Clevedon ) to J18 M49. Congestion to J21 ( Weston-super-mare ). "M5 Southbound closed, long delays due to police incident from J18 M49 to J19 A369 Martcombe Road (Portishead).

Congestion to J17 (Cribbs Causeway)."

10:30Eliana Nunes

Congestion near Bristol

Traffic maps show congestion is building in the area near Bristol following the closure of the M5 in both directions between Junction 18 (Avonmouth) and Junction 19 (Portbury).

Congestion near Bristol (Google Maps)10:21Eliana Nunes

Diversion details to come soon

In an update on X, National Highways has said the M5 is closed between Junction 18 (Avonmouth) and Junction 19 (Portbury) due to an ongoing incident and added: "Diversion details to follow, please plan ahead of your journey if travelling in the area today."

10:17KEY EVENT

M5 closed due to welfare-related incident

Avon and Somerset Police has now confirmed that the M5 is closed between Junction 18 (Avonmouth) and Junction 19 (Portbury) due to a welfare-related incident.

The M5 is closed in both directions between junctions 18 (Avonmouth) and 19 (Portbury) due to a welfare-related incident. Emergency services are at the scene, however there is significant congestion in the area. Motorists are advised to seek alternative routes. pic.twitter.com/s4RFV93wJE[10]

-- Avon and Somerset Police (@ASPolice) March 17, 2026[11]10:14KEY EVENT

Miles of delays on M5

Traffic maps show several miles of delays on the M5 due to an incident led by Avon and Somerset Police between Junction 18 (Avonmouth) and Junction 19 (Portbury).

The incident happened between Junction 18 (Avonmouth) and Junction 19 (Portbury) (Google Maps)10:07Eliana Nunes

Traffic building on M5

Queues are building on the M5 due to a police-led incident between Junction 18 (Avonmouth) and Junction 19 (Portbury).

Inrix reports congestion to Junction 20 (Clevedon) for northbound and Junction 17 (Cribbs Causeway) for southbound.

Traffic on the M5 (National Highways)10:04Eliana Nunes

Inrix: Queuing traffic due to police incident

Traffic monitoring site Inrix has said: "M5 in both directions closed, queueing traffic due to police incident from J19 A369 Martcombe Road (Portishead) to J18 M49."

09:57KEY EVENT

M5 closed in both directions

National Highways said: "The #M5 is blocked in both directions between J18 #Avonmouth and J19 #Portbury. This due to an @ASPRoadSafety [ASPolice Roads Policing] led incident. Delays building, approx.

3 miles of congestion southbound and 2 miles northbound."

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References

1. ^ Bristol (www.mirror.co.uk)
2. ^ Avon and Somerset Police (www.mirror.co.uk)
3. ^ National Highways (www.mirror.co.uk)
4. ^ #M5 (twitter.com)
5. ^ #Avonmouth (twitter.com)
6. ^ #Portbury (twitter.com)
7. ^ @ASPRoadSafety (twitter.com)
8. ^ pic.twitter.com/RV23GsM56o (t.co)
9. ^ March 17, 2026 (twitter.com)
10. ^ pic.twitter.com/s4RFV93wJE (t.co)
11. ^ March 17, 2026 (twitter.com)
12. ^ Click here to activate (www.google.com)