M5 closed in both directions between J31 and J30 — Devon Live
Devon Live reports the M5 was closed in both directions between J31 and J30 on Monday morning, May 18, after a police-led incident. The closure started around 4.30am and left one of the main links near Exeter shut while emergency services worked at the scene.
National Highways said there were no delays on approach at the time, but it also said there was no current estimated time for reopening. For drivers heading through the Exeter and Shillingford Abbot stretch, the immediate change was a full stop on the motorway and a set of six diversions depending on where they were travelling from and to.
J31 and J30 closure
The shut section ran between J31, Shillingford Abbot, and J30, Exeter. Traffic reports said there was slow traffic because of the police incident between J30 A376 Sidmouth Road and J31 A38, showing the impact was concentrated on the corridor around the closed motorway stretch.
The timing mattered for morning travellers. The incident began before 5am, so drivers heading into the Exeter area had to deal with the closure as the day began rather than after normal commuter traffic had already cleared.
Six diversions in place
Six diversions were in place depending on where motorists were travelling from and to. Four of those diversions were for northbound traffic, giving drivers different routes rather than a single redirected line through the closed section.
That left travellers with a practical choice: follow the diversion tied to their direction of travel or avoid the area altogether until the route reopened. With no estimated reopening time available, the change on the road remained open-ended through the morning.
National Highways update
National Highways said there were currently no delays on approach, which meant the backlog had not yet built up at the motorway entry points when the update was issued. The same update said there was no current estimated time for reopening, leaving the closure in place without a timetable.
For anyone planning to use the M5 through Exeter, the immediate next step was to check the diversion that matched the direction of travel and factor in the closed junctions at J31 and J30. The motorway remained shut in both directions while the incident response continued.
