Police halt M5 Taunton traffic after reports of person in road
Police shut the m5 taunton stretch on Saturday morning after multiple drivers reported a person running across the active lanes between Junction 25 at Taunton and Junction 24 at Bridgwater South. The closure stopped traffic in both directions shortly after 6:15 AM on June 13, 2026.
For motorists already on the road, the shutdown meant traffic came to a complete standstill while officers searched the area with help from the National Police Air Service. Traffic monitoring agency Inrix later recorded queues stretching for miles in both directions.
Taunton and Bridgwater South
Avon and Somerset Police said it received multiple distress calls from drivers reporting a solitary figure in the live lanes. One motorist, trapped at the front of the halted traffic, said: "I'm at the front. Just been told we are waiting on a helicopter. Reports of a person running across the lanes and they can't find him now, so they need assistance locating him so it doesn't happen again."
The closure cut off both northbound and southbound traffic on a main route through Somerset for over an hour. The stretch links Taunton and Bridgwater South and serves as a primary route through the county during the morning commute.
Avon and Somerset Police
By 8:26 AM, Avon and Somerset Police said: "Traffic was initially halted and then a closure was put in place. Searches have been carried out, including with the assistance of the National Police Air Service; however, they proved negative". After that, National Highways began reopening the carriageways.
The sequence left drivers waiting through the busiest part of the morning while police checked whether anyone remained on or near the motorway. The search ended without finding a person, and the road reopened only after the all-clear.
National Highways reopening
National Highways began reopening the carriageways once police finished the searches. Drivers heading through the M5 Taunton section faced the immediate effect in the form of long stationary queues and a delayed onward journey while the motorway remained shut.
For anyone caught in the closure, the practical move was to stay put until police and National Highways cleared the road. Once the carriageways reopened, traffic could start moving again, but only after the disruption had already stretched past an hour.
