Giant hole shuts lanes on M-way

THE M5 was closed for nearly five hours on Saturday as a hole around six inches deep was repaired on the carriageway.

Two lanes were closed on the northbound carriageway between junction 9 at Tewkesbury and junction 8 at the M50 interchange in Gloucestershire.

Gloucestershire Police and Highways England initially reported the problem was a “surface defect”, which was later confirmed to be a hole in the road measuring around a foot long and six inches deep.

Traffic monitoring service INRIX further confirmed the closure shortly afterwards, stating that “emergency repairs” were underway.

The update at the time said: “Two lanes closed and slow traffic due to emergency repairs on M5 Northbound from J9 A46 (Tewkesbury) to J8 M50. Lanes one and two of four are closed.”

The closures on the carriageway were first put into place shortly before 3pm, beginning what would ultimately be a closure of nearly five hours.

Traffic queued back for miles from the scene, with delays eventually reaching an hour around the scene according to Highways England.

The hole also caused damage to a number of cars before it was closed off by police, with a force statement saying: “A number of cars have sustained damage and are on the hard shoulder and police are in attendance.”

The closure remained in place while contractors were brought in to repair the hole, with motorists advised through the afternoon to seek alternative routes northbound around the closure.

The closure was maintained throughout the afternoon and into the evening, with Highways England finally confirming the road had reopened and the hole had been repaired shortly before 7.30pm.

The service tweeted: “Update – The surface defect has now been repaired and all lanes are running. Thank you for your patience.”