M25 drivers 'choosing to ignore' diversion route around full weekend closure, say highways bosses

Good progress was made on the first full day of the M25's weekend closure, National Highways has said, but drivers were being urged to stick to the official diversion route in a bid to keep traffic moving smoothly.

The motorway which is Britain's busiest closed in both directions between Junctions 9 and 10 in Surrey from 9pm on Friday (May 10) while concrete beams for a new bridge are installed.

It reopened at 6am this morning (May 13). Diversion routes took cars on a 19-mile journey on A roads, crossing from Surrey into London's Ulez area, though National Highways has assured drivers "no enforcement action will be taken". However, the highways authority said anyone who ignores official diversion signs in an attempt to find shorter alternative routes will be liable for the £12.50 daily Ulez fee if their vehicle does not meet minimum emissions standards.

Failure to pay the charge when required can result in a £180 fine, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days. On Saturday, National Highways said they had seen an "increasing number" of motorists "choosing to ignore" the diversion route, starting at Junction 8, and instead continuing on the motorway to the next junction.

The next full weekend closure of the M25 at Junction 10 could take place in August and will likely impact summer holiday travel, however, it was stressed dates have not been set and are subject to change.

READ MORE: Full M25 weekend closure leaves drivers facing 23 mile diversion

READ MORE: M25 drivers warned they will be hit with Ulez charge if they ignore diversion routes

Simon Elliott, National Highways senior project manager, said over the weekend just gone that it was "important that drivers follow the diversion route in place". He said: "It is the most effective way for people travelling clockwise along the M25 to reach their destination and will help keep traffic moving as well as possible during this weekend's closure.

"Coming off at Junction 9 means non-freight drivers will end up travelling behind or alongside HGVs which is something we are actively trying to avoid and is likely to have a negative impact on travel times, congestion and the communities they pass through." The highways authority added that good progress had been made on Saturday, with a number of beams that will form the new bridge having been lifted into place.

The 19-mile diversion route saw an "unusually low volume of traffic", with residents and local businesses reporting quiet roads and reduced footfall in their towns and villages. Councillor Rod Ashford, from the Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, said that, at around 5pm, traffic around Junction 8, where the diversion route starts, was "free-flowing with an unusually low volume of traffic".

He added: "Given the A217 would be a route to divert M25 traffic to Epsom and around (to the) M25 Junction 9, traffic in my area is quiet." Meanwhile, in Epsom, which is on the diversion route, workers at Blacks Burgers said there had been a "downturn in business and walk-in trade" compared to last weekend and corresponding with the road closure, whilst the area in general seemed quieter.

National Highways previously urged drivers to only travel the route if necessary, to avoid the closure and to complete their journeys in other ways if possible. The M25 closure is the second of five planned weekend closures which come as part of a £317 million project to improve Junction 10.

For more information about the M25 closure, diversion routes and more, click here.

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