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| Version 2 | Version 3 |
|---|---|
| Man on bridge causes M5 closure | Man on bridge causes M5 closure |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Police have shut a section of the M5 in Bristol following concerns for the safety of a man on a motorway bridge. | Police have shut a section of the M5 in Bristol following concerns for the safety of a man on a motorway bridge. |
| All northbound lanes on the Avonmouth Bridge have been closed between junctions 18a and 19 while police deal with the incident. | All northbound lanes on the Avonmouth Bridge have been closed between junctions 18a and 19 while police deal with the incident. |
| A 35-mile-long traffic queue has built up stretching back to junction 23 at Bridgwater in Somerset. | A 35-mile-long traffic queue has built up stretching back to junction 23 at Bridgwater in Somerset. |
| The Highways Agency is supplying water to stranded motorists and hopes to set up portable toilets at junction 21. | |
| A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said: "We have had to close the bridge to ensure the safety of the officers at the scene. | A spokesman for Avon and Somerset police said: "We have had to close the bridge to ensure the safety of the officers at the scene. |
| "We were also concerned about the very real danger of secondary accidents as motorists were being distracted." | "We were also concerned about the very real danger of secondary accidents as motorists were being distracted." |
| Dave Sledge, of the Highways Agency, said: "The police are hoping to open one of the lanes on the bridge soon but with the huge backlog of traffic this will still mean very long delays. | |
| "We are asking people not to stand on the hard shoulder as emergency vehicles may still need to get through." | |
| The exit slip road at junction 19 on the southbound carriageway has now reopened following a small accident earlier meaning that motorists can now access Gordano services. | |
| Northbound traffic is still being diverted away from the motorway at junction 21 for Weston-super-Mare and along the A370. | |
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| Police have closed the M5 northbound at the Avonmouth Bridge in Bristol |