19-mile highway to hell
THE frustrations of motorway delays were captured perfectly yesterday.
One carriageway on the M5 was jammed with cars tailing back 19 miles… while the other side was so deserted that drivers took to playing football, rugby, badminton and even walking their dogs.
Concerns for a woman on a bridge had forced the road closure in both directions near Wellington in Somerset.
Within 90 minutes, tailbacks developed from Taunton to Cullompton. Avon and Somerset Police managed to reopen the road at about 12.45pm – with officers saying the woman was “safe and well” having been “moved from the bridge”.
Drivers, who were left sweltering in the summer sunshine, expressed on Twitter their frustration at the delays – with Rob, from Usk in Monmouthshire, calling the M5 the “world’s biggest car park”.
The same stretch of motorway will be busy again today with motorists heading to the South West for the Bank Holiday.