New group tasked with reducing M5 closures

A new group will be set up to help cut long traffic delays on a motorway after a spate of closures this year.

The M5 in Somerset has closed on several occasions this year for crashes and welfare-led incidents, leading to calls for exploring how the way closures are managed can be changed.

Somerset Council agreed on 5 August to create a group - made up of the council, Avon and Somerset Police, National Highways, Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner - to tackle the issue.

Somerset councillor Richard Wilkins said together the group will "try and understand what the issues are, and most importantly, what we can do differently to improve the situation".

According to figures from National Highways, Somerset has 12.9% of the South West's motorway network and 15.7% of incidents leading to a closure happen in the county, but 29.1% of incidents involving "persons in crisis" occur along this stretch.

National Highways said it has seen "high volumes [of traffic] across all days during the holiday period" in recent years, straying from the tradition of weekends, Thursdays, and Mondays being the busiest.

The council said the new group will analyse data related to incidents and draw up plans to help reduce the frequency and duration of motorway closures.

It also said council leader Bill Revans will write to the government highlighting the issue of repeated M5 closures.

The BBC previously reported on the impact the unexpected closures were having on drivers, including a mother whose baby overheated and a woman whose treatment for conditions that cause widespread pain and fatigue gets "almost undone" due to the stress of travelling home on the M5.

"There's been considerable issues with the M5 in recent years," Wilkins said.

"We've just seen the amount of closures and the length of times the closures take place, just increase year-on-year.

"It's becoming a real problem, and it has a real impact not only on the local road networks but the whole economy of the south west."

National Highways said it is "aware of the impact any unplanned closures have on communities around the M5", and will work with the council and emergency services to find improvements.

A spokesperson said: "The majority of impactful unplanned closures are as a result of police-led incidents, and National Highways always ensures that we have everything in place to reopen the road as soon as is practicable once the scene is released to us."

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