‘Guns’ at scene of M4 junction 17 police chase crash

Emergency services rushed to the scene of the junction slip road coming off the M4 in the early hours of Tuesday morning, May 20, following reports of a police chase which ended in a crash. The slip road remained closed for most of the day for 'police investigations', which created an hour delay for Chippenham commuters. Now, a man has been arrested on suspicion of possession of firearms, aggravated burglary and dangerous driving.

Gwent Police have since confirmed that guns were recovered from the scene. The scene on junction 17 of the M4 (Image: Trevor Porter) So far, officers have also confirmed the car involved in the crash was being chased by officers from Avon and Somerset Police, who were pursuing the car in connection with an investigation into an aggravated burglary that occurred in the Gwent area in South Wales. The man found at the scene was taken for questioning, and no injuries were reported.

A spokesperson from Gwent Police said: "There was single car collision at about 2.50am on junction 17 of the M4 on the eastbound exit slip road. "No-one was injured. "The car was being pursued by Avon & Somerset police at the time, in connection with an ongoing aggravated burglary investigation in the Gwent force area.

The closure caused long delays all day (Image: Trevor Porter) "Officers have arrested a man on suspicion of aggravated burglary, dangerous driving and possession of firearms. "He is currently being questioned." The closure of the junction and the M4 resulted in major delays for commuters passing the affected area on Tuesday.

Recommended reading: At 9am on Tuesday, May 20, one motorist described the scene as a "stand off", adding that "people have turned off at Leigh Delamere and tried to get over the bridge but there's an HGV blocking that road coming the other way. "You have to go to Bath, but traffic there was standstill for about two miles.

"It probably took me 30 minutes to get from Chippenham to Bath before I could even rejoin the motorway back to Swindon."

Junction 17 of the M4 is now open and traffic is flowing again as normal.

Both Wiltshire Police, Avon and Somerset Police, and Gwent Police have been contacted for more information.