Drivers on the M5 near Stroud faced severe delays on Wednesday 27 May after a broken-down crane and a separate multi-vehicle crash hit the southbound route. The disruption affected traffic between junctions 13 and 14 near Stroud, while another incident farther south closed part of the carriageway between junctions 17 and 18.
For motorists searching for m5 traffic news, the immediate problem was clear: queueing traffic, lane closures and a motorway that was struggling to keep moving. National Highways said the approach was seeing 45-minute delays and 4 miles of congestion, while AA Traffic Maps reported one lane closed because of debris on the road and a stalled crane on the M5 southbound from J13 A419 at Stroud to J14 B4509 at Thornbury and Falfield.
The crane incident was not described the same way throughout the morning. AA Traffic Maps had initially reported that stretch as an accident before later attributing the disruption to a stalled crane and debris on the road. That matters because it shows how quickly a live motorway scene can shift as more information comes in, especially when recovery crews are trying to work around broken-down heavy equipment.
At the same time, AA Traffic Maps said the M5 southbound from junction 17 at Cribbs Causeway to junction 18 at M49, near Aztec West, was blocked by a multi-vehicle crash. Traffic was also heavy on the opposite side because of onlookers, adding to the backlog on both carriageways.
An Avon and Somerset Police spokesperson said the southbound carriageway between junction 17 and junction 18 was closed following the collision and that emergency services were at the scene. The force said no one was thought to be seriously hurt and told motorists to be patient while work was underway to clear the carriageway as quickly as possible.
Specialist recovery was requested for the crane incident, and clearance work was underway on both disruptions. What remains unknown is how long the delays will last, but for now the M5 is still dealing with the kind of double hit that can snarl a major route for miles.
