Aerial view of the M5 motorway crossing a river

M5 Traffic News

3Accidentsreported on the M5 — see details4Roadworks activelive on the M5 right now — see details11Plannedscheduled on the M5 — see details

Live M5 traffic data from National Highways · updated 23:12 Wed 16 Sept 2026

M5

M5 Traffic.co.uk

M5 Traffic is dedicated to all the latest M5 traffic news — M5 traffic reports and information about M5 delays, M5 roadworks, M5 accidents and incidents, updated through the day. Whether you are heading south for Taunton, Exeter and the West Country or north for Bristol, Worcester and Birmingham, check the M5 before you set off.

Few drivers stay on one motorway for a whole journey. That is why this site belongs to Traffic News England, our network covering all the major roads across England — the rest of your route is reported there too.

Latest M5 traffic news

Search all the latest M5 traffic news →

Latest accident or incident on the M5

The most recent accident or incident on the M5 that we are aware of.

  • M5 northbound Jct 25 to Jct 24 lane 3 closure

    Active nowUpdateNorthbound
    Time now: Wednesday, 16 September 2026, 23:12

    23:0816 Sept 2026reported 3 min ago

    Location
    M5 northbound between J25 and J24
    Direction
    Northbound
    Lanes closed
    Lane closures
    Reason
    Repair work
    Schedule
    21:03 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 04:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
    Expected to clear in ~4h 47m HA planned end: 04:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
  • Latest active roadworks on the M5

    Roadworks live on the M5 right now.

  • M5 both directions Jct 27 to Jct 26 - HS & lane 1 & 2closure

    Active nowRoadworksBoth directions
    Time now: Wednesday, 16 September 2026, 23:12

    23:0816 Sept 2026reported 3 min ago

    Location
    M5 northbound within J26
    Direction
    Both directions
    Lanes closed
    Lane closures
    Reason
    Maintenance work
    Schedule
    20:45 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
    Expected to clear in ~6h 47m HA planned end: 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
  • + 3 more active roadworks - search all M5 traffic news →

    Latest planned roadworks on the M5

    The next planned roadworks scheduled on the M5.

  • M5 northbound Jct 22 to Jct 21 single lane running (167/4 to 161/4)

    PlannedRoadworksNorthbound
    Time now: Wednesday, 16 September 2026, 23:12

    23:0816 Sept 2026reported 3 min ago

    Location
    M5 northbound between J22 and J21
    Direction
    Northbound
    Lanes closed
    Restriction
    Reason
    Road improvement or upgrading
    Schedule
    21:00 Wed 16 Sept 2026 → 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026

    Forecast - not confirmed

    🚧HA scheduled: 21:00 Wed 16 Sept 202606:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026 underway until 06:00 Thu 17 Sept 2026
  • + 10 more planned roadworks - search all M5 traffic news →

    Road closed — on the overhead signs now

    National Highways’ overhead signs are showing a road closure, as at 23:12 Wed 16 Sept 2026. 1 other serious message is on the signs - see them all below.

    • A38 CLOSED AFTER M5

      On the signs now Road closed
      Time now: Wednesday, 16 September 2026, 23:12

      20:2716 Sept 2026set 3 hrs ago⚠ 3 hrs old✓ Checked by us 23:12

      A38 CLOSED
      AFTER M5

      Overhead Message

      WhereM5 southbound, at J30 · on 1 sign
      Also onM5 signs only
      SinceSet 20:27 Wed 16 Sept 2026
      We check these overhead signs at least every five minutes, but we can't guarantee a sign is still current if an incident or issue has been cleared and the sign has not been updated yet. Signs and news can each carry something the other does not - check both before you travel.

    See all the M5 overhead signs →

    Search all the latest M5 traffic news →

    Updated 23:12 Wed 16 Sept 2026

    Powered by National Highways’ Transport Data Feeds.

    The M5 Traffic website is part of UK Traffic News, which is a network of websites providing traffic news to road users around the UK.

    You want to know about “M5 traffic now”, right? You want to know about “M5 planned roadworks” or “active” roadworks that might affect the journey you are about to undertake. This is what the M5 Traffic website is all about: current M5 news, delays, roadworks, incidents, accidents, crashes, current roadworks and planned roadworks. All aimed at making your M5 journey smoother and more trouble-free. We also now feature the overhead signs and speed restrictions.

    UK Traffic News and some of the satellite websites dedicated to some of the specific motorways around the UK have been successfully publishing traffic news since 2009.

    Some of our dedicated motorway websites have been running for over 15 years and have thousands of users every day. We have decided to put our years of experience of publishing traffic news into expanding the network of websites that feature specific traffic news, and M5Traffic.co.uk is one of those new sites. On a personal level we have family members who now commute up and down the M5 multiple times a month, so we wanted to help them find the latest traffic information for the M5. We hope this new M5 Traffic website will help anyone using the M5 motorway regularly with their daily commute.

    On our home page (above) we feature the latest news item from a number of categories of news. Our “Latest M5 Traffic News” page (which on mobile the menu says “All News”) is where you can find all the latest news updated every 5 minutes, 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year. You can sort and filter news by type, direction, active or planned. This is specifically designed to help commuters and other regular M5 users to filter news for the M5 junction they intend to travel from to the M5 junction they intend to exit.

    The top menu and the menu in the footer are designed to be easy and quick to read and self-explanatory. After all, you want to be able to quickly find the M5 traffic news relevant to you, right? That’s our goal, always.

    As our network of motorway-specific websites grows, on the maps page, where we have a live website for a connecting motorway, you will find the link to that motorway website on the map. If you are travelling on one or more connecting motorways, using our map page you will be able to see what traffic and roadworks affect those motorways too.

    If you are using a motorway we do not yet have a dedicated website for, you can find all the latest up-to-date traffic and roadworks reports and updates for all the motorways and major A roads in England on Traffic News England.

    So, whether you are a daily user of the M5 motorway, an occasional commuter, in a car, van or lorry, we hope that our M5 Traffic website will help you find M5-specific news and traffic updates that are happening right now, today and updated at least every 5 minutes.

    The M5 motorway is also a busy motorway in holiday periods and weekends, as lots of people love holidays or short breaks in the Devon, Cornwall and Somerset area. We do too!

    Plan your journey on the M5

    The M5 runs about 163 miles from the M6 near West Bromwich south-west through Worcester, Gloucester and Bristol to Exeter (Junction 31). Use our map of M5 junctions and services to find your junction, or check M5 motorway services before you set off.

    Connecting motorways

    Travelling on to another motorway? The M5 meets the M6 at its northern end and the M4 at Junction 15, Almondsbury. It also connects with the M42 (J4a), the M50 (J8) and the M49 (J18a).

    M5traffic.co.uk is dedicated to the latest M5 traffic news, checked every five minutes, 24 hours a day. The M5 meets the M4 at the Almondsbury Interchange near Bristol — see M4 Traffic for the M4, and Traffic News England for traffic news across all of England.