National Highways Reopens M5 Junction 30 31 Delays After Oil Spill

National Highways reopened the M5 southbound between J30 and J31 near Exeter on Saturday, May 16 after an earlier oil spill caused m5 junction 30 31 delays. The stretch had been restricted for much of the day, with queues building past Exeter.

By 4pm, all lane closures had been lifted and traffic was moving again, but drivers still faced 30 minute delays on the approach. National Highways said the affected section had reopened after the spillage on the motorway.

J31 oil spill

The disruption began after an oil spillage at junction 31 on the southbound carriageway. Two lanes were closed, and queueing traffic stretched back for about three miles past Exeter.

National Highways later said delays in the area had reached around one hour earlier in the day. At one point, lanes 2 and 3 of 3 remained closed between J30 and J31 while contractors worked to clear the spillage.

Exeter queues

Inrix reported two lanes closed on the M5 southbound before J31 A38, with congestion extending to J29. Queueing traffic reached four miles at one point, and delays were listed at 45 minutes with about 3 miles of congestion on the approach.

The incident involved a lorry and two cars, and recovery work kept the southbound stretch under pressure even after the initial closure was eased. Surrounding routes through Exeter City Centre also saw long delays as traffic avoided the M5 problems.

Saturday, May 16

By late afternoon, the motorway had returned to full running order between J30 and J31, but the backlog had not cleared at once. Drivers using the Exeter approach still had to work through the remaining 30 minute delays after the lanes reopened.