If you’re heading south on the M40 this afternoon, turn around now, or at the very least, find a very comfortable playlist.
A serious collision has forced the complete closure of the M40 near Warwick, with Highways England confirming that all lanes are shut in both directions as emergency services work at the scene. Police, ambulance crews, and fire units are all reported to be in attendance, suggesting the incident is significant.
Traffic is already backing up for several miles, with delays stretching well beyond junction 15 at Warwick. Drivers are being urged to avoid the area entirely and seek alternative routes, with the A46 and A452 likely to see considerably heavier traffic as a result.
“This is a major disruption to one of the busiest corridors in the Midlands,” one traffic monitoring service noted, adding that clearance times were uncertain and that conditions could worsen through the afternoon rush hour.
The M40 connects London to Birmingham and handles tens of thousands of vehicles daily, making any full closure a headache of considerable proportions. Commuters travelling between the two cities are facing waits that could stretch to two hours or more if the road remains shut into peak time.
National Highways has not yet issued a formal estimated reopening time, which is rarely a good sign. When agencies stay quiet on timelines, it usually means the situation on the ground is still unfolding.
Local diversion routes are already being signposted, but drivers familiar with Warwickshire’s country roads will know that pushing heavy motorway traffic through villages like Sherbourne or Barford rarely ends well for anyone.
If you’re already on the road, check the National Highways traffic map or tune into local radio for updates. Travel time estimates are currently unreliable and changing rapidly.
The broader question, as ever after incidents like this, is whether the road will reopen before the evening commute turns the whole surrounding network into a car park.
