M4 closed LIVE to traffic in all directions until beyond rush hour tom | UK | News
On Tuesday, Berkshire motorists were treated to a hellish morning commute thanks to the snap closure of the M4 due to a traffic collision. Fast-forward one day, and we’re seeing a closure on the same stretch of highway. Coincidence? Or is this a case of cause and effect after yesterday’s crash? While National Highways have not confirmed the consecutive-day incidents are linked, it is likely that damage to power pylons were noticed by crews as they worked yesterday to make the scene safe. Which has resulted in today’s closure on the M4 in the same spot, with rush hour commuters suffering through traffic chaos in the same location on double days.
Yesterday, just after 3am, many Britons were still tucked up in bed. But at an intersection on Earl’s Court Road in London, dramatic scenes were unfolding that would later cause commuter chaos on the M4 westbound.
London’s Metropolitan Police confirmed a high-speed police chase started on the A4, with the pursuit coming to an end with a crash on the M4. The crash saw fuel spillage across the carriageway, and the road was closed to motorists as a result.
Here’s more on yesterday’s early morning police chase, as told by the Met itself.
“At around 3.15am on Tuesday, 17 February, police engaged in a pursuit after a vehicle failed to stop,” a Met Police spokesperson said.
“The pursuit began on the A4 at the junction with Earl’s Court Road and ended on the M4 westbound before junction 10. During the pursuit, the driver rammed a police car, causing it to swerve and lose a tyre.”
The driver – a man in his 30s – was arrested at the scene on suspicion of dangerous driving, attempted grievous bodily harm, driving on false plates, possession of a bladed weapon, failing to stop for police and driving through a red light.
He was taken to hospital by the London Ambulance Service, where his condition was classed as non-life-threatening and non-life-changing. He remains in hospital and will be taken to police custody upon release.
And that is basically how we find ourselves here, with the same stretch of motorway closed. This time, the closure impacts motorist in both directions between J10 (Wokingham) and J11 (Reading) as crews make urgent repairs to a power line pylon by the roadside. And, yet again, rush hour motorists will feel the sting of congestion due to that collision.
