Motorway drama ends as man dies in M5 bridge plunge

A man plunged to his death from the Avonmouth Bridge after a six-and- a-half-hour stand-off with police.

The man scaled a 6ft safety fence at the midway point of the bridge next to the M5 northbound shortly after 1pm on Friday.

Motorists watched in horror as he balanced precariously on the base of one of the bridge’s streetlights, jutting out above the River Avon.

Police shut the entire northbound carriageway as they tried to talk the man into coming down.

But shortly after 7.30pm he fell 100ft into the water after apparently jumping from the spot where he had perched for more than six hours.

The incident happened in front of emergency services personnel who had been trying to save the man. His body was recovered by the coastguard.

The man, whom police described as “vulnerable”, has not yet been identified but is believed to have been in his late 50s and from Bristol.

The road closure, on a day when the start of the bank holiday weekend had brought thousands of extra cars onto the motorway, caused huge tailbacks and left motorists stranded on the M5 for up to six hours.

Queues from Gordano stretched 34 miles back to Bridgwater.

At 2pm police shut the northbound carriageway between junctions 19 and 18, from Gordano to Avonmouth.

But it was later extended to junction 21 at Weston-super-Mare, with stranded drivers turned around and diverted onto neighbouring A-roads including the A370 Weston to Bristol road and the A369 linking the city with Portishead, which was temporarily closed due to weight of traffic.

Southbound, the exit slip road at junction 19 was closed, adding to the hold-ups.

The Highways Agency said traffic heading south on the M5 moved at a crawl as people slowed down to watch police deal with the incident and heavy traffic was reported as far back as Falfield, near Thornbury.

Police said they closed the northbound carriageway because of concerns over the man’s welfare and the safety of emergency services at the scene, as well as that of motorists.

Avon and Somerset assistant chief constable John Long said decisions to enforce significant road closures were not taken lightly, and only occurred in cases of considerable risk to life or safety.

He said: “While many motorists were understandably frustrated and angry about the disruption and delays to their journey, the safety of everyone concerned was the paramount priority.”

“We are grateful to those motorists, their families, friends and everyone else who has been affected by this tragic incident, for their patience and co-operation.”

On the M5 stranded motorists, including children and elderly, were stuck without food or water, and many left their vehicles to stretch their legs on the hard shoulder.

Later in the evening police handed out Officers also patrolled the motorway to make sure people were safe, and urged them to keep the hard shoulder free for emergency services.

Lorries were diverted off the motorway on to the A370 Long Ashton bypass, and other vehicles were diverted towards the A369.

The A369 was also temporarily closed by police because of the weight of traffic. Soon after it reopened at 5.45pm the seven-mile stretch between the M5 Gordano junction and the Cumberland Basin was solid with traffic heading towards Bristol and there were queues on the Clifton Suspension Bridge.

The knock-on effect of motorists looking for alternative routes caused havoc on the roads and long delays across the entire Bristol area including the M4 and M32. as well as the A38 had queues from Burnham-on-Sea to Dundry and the southern reaches of Bristol, traffic on the M4 was slow, and there were queues in both directions on the M32.

In Bristol traffic on Temple Way was at a standstill as people tried to find alternative routes. Junction 19 of the M5 was reopened just after 7pm, and three of the four northbound lanes were re-opened just after 8pm.

People stuck in the delays spoke of their experiences on the Evening Post’s website.

One reader, from Shirehampton, said: “Me, my wife, sister and four toddlers were sat 350 yards from junction 20 not moving for four hours.”

“Nothing appeared to be getting off at the Clevedon slip road so decided to bite the bullet and weave on to the hard shoulder and then the slip road.

“It only took another 35 minutes to get home to Avonmouth.”

A woman from Coventry posting a comment at 5pm said: “My husband and six-year-old son have been stuck 15 miles below Bristol for hours.

“He said everyone was OK and people were helping each other out with food.”

The man’s death has been referred to the Independent Police Complaints Commission., and the Professional Standards Department has been informed.

Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS) dealt with seven road collisions in Bristol and North Somerset in nine hours yesterday. Officers said the bad weather caused problems on the road and driving conditions.

Jonathan Lofthouse, GWAS deputy chief ambulance officer, said: “I urge motorists to take extra care on the roads during this weather.

“Please stay alert and aware of the changing conditions and leave extra space between vehicles allowing extra stopping distance.

“Also, please allow extra space if an ambulance crew is working at the side of the road and ensure you pass the incident at a safe distance and speed.”