Major UK motorway announces closure for days starting 'from 9pm'

A major UK motorway will be shut for 57 hours in a brutal closure for motorists up and down the country. Anybody driving in and around London in the coming days has been warned the M25 faces being closed for a whopping 57 hours.

National Highways will close the motorway in both directions from 9pm on Friday until 6 am on Monday between junctions 10 and 11 in Surrey. National Highways project lead Jonathan Wade said: "How many people are going to take the initiative and try and use satnavs?

"There's probably a greater risk of congestion by people just doing their own thing and thinking they can perhaps beat the signs and find a shorter or quicker route. That will cause further congestion on some of the key junctions so please avoid doing that if at all possible."

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Mr Wade said: “Because it’s so unprecedented, we’ve got nothing to benchmark it against.” He added: “There’s never been a closure of this nature. We really can’t be certain how many people will heed the messages which we’ve given.

“It’s very difficult to determine right now how effective all our traffic management will be. Please don’t travel if you can avoid it.” National Highways believes only around an hour will be added to journeys because of the steps it has taken, which is based on a reduction in traffic of 50 per cent.

The M25 normally carries between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles in each direction per hour. This weekend's closure will be followed by a string of other closures, too. Drivers are being told to avoid listening to satnavs through fears they will be given the wrong route.

The project, due to be completed in summer 2025, has announced four more daytime closures of the motorway which will take place up to September.