Thousands trapped in M5 stand-off

Aug 28 2009

Thousands of motorists were trapped for more than six hours in their cars after a motorway was closed during a police negotiation with a suicidal man.

The man and trained police negotiators were locked in a stand-off from 1pm on Friday on the Avonmouth bridge on the M5 northbound.

The man, thought to be in his late 50s and from Bristol, jumped into the water below shortly after 7.30pm. Coastguards have recovered his body.

The northbound carriageway of the M5 was closed from around 2pm between junction 19 at Portishead and junction 18 at Avonmouth.

Queues of traffic for 28 miles built up as bank holiday weekend motorists found themselves at a standstill. Roads around Somerset and Bristol were also jammed.

Highway Agency officers handed out bottles of water at around 7pm to the stranded drivers and their passengers.

Three of the four northbound lanes were re-opened just after 8pm but motorists were warned traffic would be moving slowly for some time.

Avon and Somerset Police's Professional Standards Department has been informed and the incident is being referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission.

A spokesman said: "The welfare of this man, coupled with the safety of emergency services personnel at the scene and concerns for other road users who were becoming distracted by the incident, prompted police to close the M5 northbound.

"Being a Friday and a Bank Holiday (weekend), this incident caused considerable congestion, with traffic queuing as far back as Bridgwater in the northbound carriageway, and with traffic travelling south experiencing severe disruption. Decisions to enforce significant road closures are not taken lightly by the force, and are only taken in cases where there is considerable risk to life or safety."