So sorry, Surrey, the M25 is a no-go

THE mastermind behind this weekend’s unprecedented M25 closure said drivers should ‘decorate the bathroom’ instead.

Jonathan Wade, senior project manager for National Highways, admitted shutting a five- mile stretch of Britain’s busiest motorway until Monday would be ‘a little bit on the challenging side’ for motorists.

He urged those wanting to travel between junctions 10 and 11 in Surrey to find other transport options or abandon plans altogether – and instead spend time on home improvements.

Mr Wade told Simon Calder’s Independent Travel Podcast that it was in drivers’ ‘interest’ to avoid the southwestern section of the London orbital motorway during the closure, the first of five planned for this year.

He added: ‘I’m afraid it’s not going to be a particularly pretty picture over the coming weekend… find something to do at home – you know, decorate the bathroom or something.’

Steve Gooding of the RAC Foundation, a motoring research charity, said: ‘Whilst the modelling suggests around an hour might be added to people’s travel time, that will feel optimistic to anyone used to the frustrations of driving round the M25 on days even without major construction works under way.’

The shutdown was expected to lead to huge tailbacks, with councils fearing gridlock in surrounding areas. An 11.5-mile diversion route is in place to direct traffic along A-roads. It is the first planned daytime closure of the M25 since it opened in 1986. The move will allow a bridge to be demolished and a gantry installed.

On weekends, the motorway normally carries up to 6,000 vehicles between junctions 9 and 11 in each direction during daytime hours.