Police Incident Halts Traffic on M25 Motorway
What happened
A police incident brought traffic to a standstill on the M25 motorway outside London. The response from authorities caused significant delays for commuters and other travelers on the major orbital route.
Why it matters
- The M25 is one of the busiest motorways in Europe; the section between junctions 14 and 15 consistently records the highest traffic counts in the UK, with an average flow of 219,492 vehicles in 2018. Some sections were designed for a maximum of 88,000 vehicles per day but were already carrying 200,000 by 1993. - A recent police incident on the M25's anticlockwise carriageway near Brentwood resulted in severe delays of up to 69 minutes, with traffic speeds dropping to an average of just five miles per hour. - In February 2026, a 14-vehicle collision involving cars, vans, and a lorry occurred between Junctions 16 and 17, blocking the clockwise carriageway. Despite the scale of the crash, Thames Valley Police reported no serious injuries. - Disruptions on the M25 have a significant economic impact; construction for an upgrade at Junction 10 led to more than a million hours of vehicle delays in the last six months of 2023. - A study of one section of the motorway managed by Surrey Police recorded an average of 16.1 incidents per day, with the average incident lasting 1 hour and 9 minutes. - Beyond police-led responses, National Highways scheduled the first-ever planned all-day closures of the M25 in its history during 2024 to demolish a bridge and install a gantry as part of a £317 million upgrade project. - Vehicle breakdowns are a frequent cause of lane closures and delays, with 26,395 breakdowns recorded on the M25 in 2023. - The average delay on England's major motorways and A roads was 10.5 seconds per vehicle per mile in 2023, an increase of 12.9% from the previous year and 10.5% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
Key numbers
- A police incident brought traffic to a standstill on the M25 motorway outside London.
- - The M25 is one of the busiest motorways in Europe; the section between junctions 14 and 15 consistently records the highest traffic counts in the UK, with an average flow of 219,492 vehicles in 2018.
- Some sections were designed for a maximum of 88,000 vehicles per day but were already carrying 200,000 by 1993.
- A recent police incident on the M25's anticlockwise carriageway near Brentwood resulted in severe delays of up to 69 minutes, with traffic speeds dropping to an average of just five miles per hour.
What happens next
- Beyond police-led responses, National Highways scheduled the first-ever planned all-day closures of the M25 in its history during 2024 to demolish a bridge and install a gantry as part of a £317 million upgrade project.
Quick answers
What happened in Police Incident Halts Traffic on M25 Motorway?
A police incident brought traffic to a standstill on the M25 motorway outside London. The response from authorities caused significant delays for commuters and other travelers on the major orbital route.
Why does Police Incident Halts Traffic on M25 Motorway matter?
The M25 is one of the busiest motorways in Europe; the section between junctions 14 and 15 consistently records the highest traffic counts in the UK, with an average flow of 219,492 vehicles in 2018. Some sections were designed for a maximum of 88,000 vehicles per day but were already carrying 200,000 by 1993. A recent police incident on the M25's anticlockwise carriageway near Brentwood resulted in severe delays of up to 69 minutes, with traffic speeds dropping to an average of just five miles per hour. In February 2026, a 14-vehicle collision involving cars, vans, and a lorry occurred between Junctions 16 and 17, blocking the clockwise carriageway. Despite the scale of the crash, Thames Valley Police reported no serious injuries. Disruptions on the M25 have a significant economic impact; construction for an upgrade at Junction 10 led to more than a million hours of vehicle delays in the last six months of 2023. A study of one section of the motorway managed by Surrey Police recorded an average of 16.1 incidents per day, with the average incident lasting 1 hour and 9 minutes. Beyond police-led responses, National Highways scheduled the first-ever planned all-day closures of the M25 in its history during 2024 to demolish a bridge and install a gantry as part of a £317 million upgrade project. Vehicle breakdowns are a frequent cause of lane closures and delays, with 26,395 breakdowns recorded on the M25 in 2023. The average delay on England's major motorways and A roads was 10.5 seconds per vehicle per mile in 2023, an increase of 12.9% from the previous year and 10.5% higher than pre-pandemic levels in 2019.
