Overview
- The motorway is shut in both directions between Junctions 18 (M49/Avonmouth) and 19 (Gordano Services) after traffic was first held just after 12:15.
- National Highways is releasing southbound traffic from the rear of the queue and says preparations to release northbound vehicles are under way, with a local diversion operating before the closure.
- Delays have reached about 90 minutes northbound and 60 minutes southbound, with queues reported stretching toward Clevedon and as far as Weston-super-Mare.
- Heavy congestion has spread onto the M32, the Portway and city routes, and Bristol City Council has lifted a planned lane closure on Plimsoll Bridge to ease flow.
- Bristol Airport urges passengers to seek alternative routes and allow extra time, as police describe a welfare incident without further detail and unconfirmed reports circulate of a person on a bridge.