Complete closure of M4 motorway this weekend will be 'carnage', villagers warn

  • A stretch of the M4 will be shut in both directions from 7pm on Friday 18 October until 6am on Monday 21 October, as ITV News' Richard Payne reports

Villagers near Bristol and Bath have said they are fearing an onslaught of traffic ahead of a planned closure of a major motorway.

The M4 - between junction 18 for Bath and 19 for the M32 into Bristol - will be shut in both directions from 7pm on Friday 18 October until 6am on Monday 21 October, with diversion routes in place.

National Highways said the work is essential to allow contractors to dig a trench under the motorway as part of the work on the A432 Badminton Road Bridge.

It will allow utilities, currently housed within the bridge, to be diverted before the structure is demolished next year.

The diversion from the M4 will take in the villages of Wick and Warmley Credit: ITV News

But some residents have told ITV West Country they are worried the closure will cause "carnage" in local villages.

Andy Banwell, a resident of the small village of Hinton, near Bath, said: "We get 44-ton trucks coming down here now and use the excuse of the satnav. But they get stuck and that closes the village off from one end.

"If you put the motorway traffic behind it, that really is going to be bad. The motorway is busy 24 hours a day so we're going to see people using their satnavs, coming down here all weekend."

The official diversion takes drivers south of the M4 through Wick, Warmley, Emersons Green and Bromley Heath.

National Highways route manager Sean Walsh is warning motorists to expect delays

National Highways said the closure is likely to cause substantial disruption.

"We understand it's going to be disruptive for some people," Sean Walsh, National Highways route manager, said.

"If you can avoid driving down the M4 or in the locality over the weekend please do so. If you can't, please allow extra time and plan appropriately and most importantly please follow the sign diversions."Built in 1966, the Badminton Road bridge was closed to traffic after a structural investigation in July 2023 found an accelerated deterioration and cracking on the underside of the structure.

The old bridge will be demolished in March 2025, with a replacement being constructed from next April 2025 to early 2026.