M4 traffic: Junction 17 closed for police investigation

A crash which took place in the early hours of Tuesday morning, May 20, saw emergency services rush to the scene of Junction 17 eastbound on the M4.

Now, hours on from the incident, the road remains closed for 'police investigations.'

The force has been reluctant to release any information publicly about casualties or the details of the crash.

But for rush-hour commuters trying to travel east from the A350 and A429 on Tuesday morning, the closure created over an hour of delays as motorists were forced to divert west to Bath and then rejoin the motorway there.

Photos from the scene of the incident (Image: Newsquest) One motorist described the scene as a "stand off", adding that "people have turned off at Leigh Delamere and tried to get over the bridge but there's an HGV blocking that road coming the other way.

"You have to go to Bath, but traffic there was standstill for about two miles.

"It probably took me 30 minutes to get from Chippenham to Bath before I could even rejoin the motorway back to Swindon."

AA Traffic monitors state that the incident was first reported to them just after 2am on Tuesday, but the exact time of the closure. which has been ongoing for at least eight hours at the time of writing, is unknown.

A spokesperson for Wiltshire Police said: "The M4 Eastbound at junction 17 has been closed following a road traffic collision.

"Traffic approaching the roundabout from the A350 and the A429 will be diverted as emergency services attend.

"There will be no scope to enter the A429 from this junction.

"It may be closed for a number of hours while an investigation takes place. Please seek alternative routes."

Rush-hour commuters trying to join the M4 from Chippenham faced long delays (Image: AA Traffic) As of 3pm on Tuesday, May 20, the junction remains closed at Chippenham meaning motorists are unable to exit the motorway there, but traffic already on the motorway is able to travel freely past the incident without delay.

A Wiltshire Police update states: "The M4 is fully open, however drivers travelling eastbound are unable to exit the motorway at Junction 17 due to ongoing enquiries on the sliproad.

"The A429 is also inaccessible from the roundabout. Please allow extra time for journeys."