Live: M5 severe delays among Friday getaway traffic chaos
There are severe traffic delays across Somerset today as the weekend getaway commences. The M5 remains closed following a serious collision involving a lorry and a bridge this mornimg[1]
There are severe delays and two lanes closed due to recovery work and spillage of diesel on M5 Northbound before J24 A38 Taunton Road (Bridgwater South). Congestion is all the way back to J26 (Wellington) and along the A38 which is stop-start through Taunton and North Petherton as drivers head away.
Lanes one and two (of three) are now closed, the barriers will also need assessing for damage. The long queues of traffic are not helped by an earlier breakdown.
Elsewhere, according to traffic monitoring site Inrix, there are delays on the A30, the A361, in Braunton, the A38 and in Exeter. Meanwhile, a motorway camera shows traffic delays on the M5 at junction 31.
Somerset Council is warning of major disruption to waste collections across Taunton and the surrounding areas following a serious accident on the M5 this morning.The associated road closures and congestion are unfortunately having a significant impact on collections of rubbish, recycling and garden waste today.
Crews will do their best to complete as many rounds as possible, but thousand collections will need to be rescheduled. Residents are asked to leave their rubbish and garden waste out if it is not collected by the end of today. Crews will return tomorrow (Saturday 29 June) for any collections missed today and any that cannot be cleared on Saturday will be returned for on Monday (1 July).
Residents are asked to bring their recycling, including food waste, in if it is not collected by the end of today, and put it back out next Friday (5 July). Attempts to catch-up missed recycling during the week will cause delays and disruption across the county.
A spokesperson for Somerset Council said: “We apologise for the disruption and delays and ask for everyone’s patience as we work to catch up on collections in the coming days”.If your recycling collection is delayed:
· many of the items in recycling can be squashed, crushed or flattened to make the most of the space in your containers.· Food waste caddies and bins should be kept somewhere cool and in the shade. If the food waste has to go it can be double-bagged and taken to the Energy from Waste skip at a recycling site or put in your rubbish bin.
This is a live blog. Scroll down for updates.
References
- ^ The M5 remains closed following a serious collision involving a lorry and a bridge this mornimg (www.somersetlive.co.uk)