M5 traffic: Live updates for the South West as Easter bank holiday weekend getaway begins
Drivers are being warned to expect long delays on the roads as the Easter bank holiday weekend gets underway.
The worst of the congestion is expected to hit roads in the South West on Good Friday, according to the RAC and traffic monitoring service Inrix.
An estimated 17 million trips are planned over the bank holiday weekend, with traffic already building at a number of congestion hotspots.
Easter Saturday and Monday are expected to be slightly less busy, with 2.3 trips expected on each day.
To help ease some of the pressure, National Highways has temporarily lifted around 1,400 miles of roadworks from Thursday 6 April to help alleviate the queues.
More than double the normal traffic levels are predicted for the M5 south between Bristol and Bridgwater.
The A303 westbound near Stonehenge is also predicted to be extremely busy, with drivers expected to face long delays.
16:30pm: Please be reminded that the M5 Somerset is experiencing severe delays southbound between J19 Portishead & J21 Weston-super-Mare due to an increased volume of traffic due to the Easter getaway.Average journey times are being delayed by at least 90 minutes. Allow extra time.
15:45pm: Somerset -This incident is now clear, and all lanes have re-opened on the M5 northbound in Somerset between J22 Burnham-on-Sea and J21 Weston-super-Mare.Long delays remain in the area but should now start to ease.
15:15pm: Somerset - One lane closed and queueing traffic due to traffic problems on M5 Northbound from J22 (Burnham-on-Sea) to J21 A370 (Weston-Super-Mare).
@ASPolice led incident.There's a 30-minute delay on approach with 5.5 miles of congestion.
14:30pm: A38 Westbound closed, queueing traffic due to an accident from B3271 (Trematon) to New Road Terrace (Landrake). Cornwall.
13:50pm: Traffic released and all lanes have reopened on the M5 Southbound between J21 Weston-super-Mare and J22 Highbridge and Burnham following an earlier collision.13:45pm: The M5 Somerset is experiencing long delays southbound between J16 Thornbury Filton and J21 Weston-super-Mare due to an increased volume of traffic due to the Easter getaway.Average journey times are being delayed by at least 90 minutes.
12:20pm: Traffic is held on the M5 Southbound between Junction 21 at Weston-super-Mare and Junction 22 at Highbridge and Burnham.
National Highways say they are clearing debris and a fluid spill after a crash.
Cornwall
6:50am - A387 in Cornwall has reopened after being closed in in both directions closed due to accident.
Devon
7:20am - Reports of broken down vehicle on A38 at B3416 Deep Lane in Devon. Traffic is coping well.
8:30am - Heavy traffic on A386 in both directions at Golf Links Road, Devon.
11:40am - Very slow traffic on the A38 Eastbound before the Tamar Bridge heading into Devon. Travel time is 15 minutes.
Wiltshire
10:45am - Slow traffic on A303 Westbound around and past Stonehenge in Wiltshire. Travel time is 30 minutes.
8.45am - A303 Westbound partially blocked, queueing traffic due to accident at A345 Countess Road (Countess roundabout). Travel time is around 10 minutes.
Somerset
12:30pm - Long delays on the M5. One lane is closed due to an accident and a fuel spillage on the M5 Southbound near Sedgemoor Services. Travel time is 40 minutes.
11:50am - One lane closed and queueing traffic due to accident on M5 Southbound near Strowland Lane (Sedgemoor Services)
10:00am - Traffic heavier than normal on A371 in both directions near The Natterjack Inn pub in Somerset.
Bristol
8:15am - One lane closed due to broken down vehicle on M4 Eastbound from J20 Almondsbury Interchange to J19 M32, Bristol. Traffic is coping well.
11:50am - M4 Westbound lane closed on entry slip road due to broken down vehicle at J19 M32 Bristol. Traffic is coping well.
When are the best and worst times to travel this bank holiday?
According to the RAC, major roads will be busiest between 10am and 4pm on Good Friday. Drivers are being urged to avoid these times if they want a smoother journey.
On Saturday 8 April, the busiest time to drive is estimated to be between 11am and 2pm.
Sunday is expected to see the least travel disruption with major roads particularly busy between 12pm and 2pm.
Come Monday 10 April, traffic will once again be at its worst between 12pm and 2pm.
RAC spokesman Rod Dennis said: “With many people keen to make the most of the double bank holiday this Easter weekend, we’re expecting the customary jams across parts of the road network to make this Good Friday a bad Friday for drivers, especially those who are planning on covering longer distances.
“Traffic volumes could be even higher if the sun chooses to make a welcome appearance.
“The South and West are the areas to watch as they’re home to some vital roads responsible for carrying vast numbers of people to the holiday destinations of the West Country.
“Our advice to anyone heading that way is to get on the road as early as possible on Good Friday, or travel on a different day entirely.”