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Drivers are being warned of massive delays as the M25 shuts in both directions this weekend in an unprecedented move.

The closure between junctions 10 and 11 in Surrey on the UK’s busiest motorway could cause chaos.

Daryl Jordan, of Woking Borough Council, said Byfleet Road, which is close to junction 10, had been “chock-a-block” on Friday afternoon.

“It is pulling people apart,” he added.

“When you work full-time and then you’re going to get home tonight from work thinking ‘I must fill the fridge up’ and you can’t even get into your own village. It’s going to be a nightmare.”

But, how long will the section be shut, where are the diversion routes and why is it happening? Here’s everything you need to know.

When is the closure and how long will it last?

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The closure started at 9pm on Friday 15 March and the section will be shut until 6am on Monday 18 March, covering the five-mile stretch between junction 10 and 11.

What is the diversion route?

Here’s the diversion route that’s been outlined by National Highways, which maintains England’s motorways:

  • Junction 10 to junction 11: Northbound A3 to Painshill Junction, A245 towards Woking, and then A320 to M25 junction 11
  • Junction 11 to junction 10: A320 south towards Woking, A245 towards Byfleet and Painshill junction, Southbound A3 to junction 10.

You can see it on the map below:

A map showing the M25 closure and the diversion route
Image:
Map showing the M25 closure and the diversion route

And here are some Google Maps screenshots showing roads that are part of the diversion route:

M25 junction 10 towards A3 northbound
Image:
M25 junction 10 towards A3 northbound

A3 northbound towards Painshill junction
Image:
A3 northbound towards Painshill Junction

A245 towards Woking
Image:
A245 towards Woking

A320 towards M25 junction 11
Image:
A320 towards M25 junction 11

A320 towards M25 Junction 11
Image:
A320 towards M25 junction 11

Satnav warnings

Drivers are being urged to ignore satnavs and only follow official diversion routes to prevent causing gridlock during an “unprecedented” closure.

Jonathan Wade, National Highways project lead, said the amount of disruption will partly depend on whether drivers stick to official diversions.

“How many people are going to take the initiative and try and use satnavs?”, he told PA news agency.

“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.”

National Highways senior project manager Daniel Kittredge said: “If people move away from diversion routes that we prescribe, it creates additional issues in different parts of the road network.

“The majority of the time that will be local roads, so that really impacts residents in those particular areas.

“That’s why we’re trying to encourage people to not follow the satnav.

“Stick on the prescribed diversion route. It’s going to be more suitable for your journey.”

How bad could it be?

It’s the first scheduled daytime all-lanes shutdown on the M25 since it opened, so it’s not yet known exactly how bad delays are going to be.

This section of the M25 normally carries between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles in each direction per hour from 10am until 9pm at weekends, so the disruption caused by the works is expected to be significant.

More than 200,000 vehicles are expected to be affected, including many travelling in and out of London, and to and from Heathrow and Gatwick airports and Channel ports.

What advice has been issued?

“Drivers should only use the M25 if their journey is absolutely necessary,” says Jonathan Wade, National Highways project lead.

“This is the first of five full closures of one of the busiest junctions on our road network,” he adds.

“We have spent months planning for these closures and making sure there are diversion routes in place, but there will still be heavy congestion and delays.”

‘Motorists should decorate the bathroom’

The government-owned company’s chief also advises motorists to find something to do at home like “decorate the bathroom” or “play in the garden” ahead of the closure.

Mr Wade says how well the area copes with the closure will partly depend on whether drivers stick to official diversions – but urges people to avoid travelling altogether.

“Avoid the area totally if you can,” he told The Independent’s daily travel podcast.

“Either avoid travelling completely or find something to do at home, decorate the bathroom or something, I don’t know, or play in the garden.

“If you must go, travel by train, walk, use your bicycle.

“If you can, avoid driving anywhere around those diversionary routes.”

Airport warnings

People due to travel to Gatwick and Heathrow could also be affected by the closure.

Heathrow Airport is advising passengers planning to use this part of the M25 to allow for extra time before their flight.

“Passengers using public transport should also be aware that The Airline (between Heathrow and Gatwick) and RailAir (RA2), will be running amended timetables over this weekend, please check with your operator for the latest information,” their statement adds.

A London Gatwick Airport spokesperson told Sky News: “Passengers driving to the airport are advised to check diversion routes before they travel and allow extra time for potential delays.

“Gatwick’s train station is well connected and is a great alternative option for people travelling to the airport this weekend.”

‘You ain’t seen nothing yet’

Steve Gooding, director of motoring research charity the RAC Foundation, says: “For drivers who’ve already had their patience tried by the queues at the junction 10 works, the phrase ‘you ain’t seen nothing yet’ springs to mind.”

“National Highways’ plea for people to avoid driving in the area applies not just to trips on the M25, but also to those on surrounding local roads onto which the M25 traffic will be diverted,” he adds.

“The hope must be that drivers take great care, however frustrating the delays and disruption might be.

“The last thing we need is shunts or crashes, however minor, because the slightest mishap will compound the misery.”

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Why is it happening?

Government-owned company National Highways said the action is necessary to enable a bridge to be demolished and a new gantry to be installed as part of a £317m improvement project.

National Highways says the project will increase the number of lanes and make it easier to enter and exit the M25 at junction 10, which is one of the UK’s busiest and most dangerous motorway junctions.

“These improvements will bring long-term benefits to drivers who pass through this stretch of the M25, not to mention pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders who will also see positive changes in the area,” says its project lead Jonathan Wade.

Is the closure a one-off?

No – it’s just one of five planned full closures between the junctions. The other dates have not yet been confirmed.

“Three of those closures will be between junctions 10 and 11 – the A320 at Chertsey… and two of them will be between junction 9 at Leatherhead to junction 10 at Wisley,” Mr Wade said.

He said the dates of the later stages would be released in due course with motorists given plenty of notice.

“We will not just spring them on people,” he said, adding they would take place between May and December.

The project began in summer 2022 and is expected to last three years in total.

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More jail time for criminals who refuse to attend sentencing hearings

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More jail time for criminals who refuse to attend sentencing hearings

Criminals who refuse to attend their sentencing hearings will face further punishment under a new law.

The government is introducing the Victims and Courts Bill to parliament today, which will include more jail time or loss of privileges in prison in England and Wales for criminals who refuse to attend court for sentencing.

Several high-profile offenders have refused to face victims’ families, sparking a public outcry and calls for a change in the law.

The families of murdered primary school teacher Sabina Nessa, law graduate Zara Aleena and mother-of-three Jan Mustafa have all campaigned for the change after their killers were absent from sentencing hearings.

Ms Nessa’s sister, Jebina Islam, Ms Aleena’s aunt, Farah Naz, and Ms Mustafa’s cousin, Ayse Hussein, said: “This move holds offenders to account.

“It sends a clear and necessary message: the justice system is not something you should be able to opt out of.

“It is not about punishment through force – but about ensuring that perpetrators cannot remove themselves from the consequences of their actions.”

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Sabina Nessa was on her way to meet a friend when she was killed.
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Teacher Sabina Nessa was killed by Koci Selamaj in 2021 after he drove to London to assault a stranger

They said the legislation is a “step in the right direction” and the proposed punishments indicate it is “being taken seriously”.

The trio added: “This change supports victims and society alike. It shows justice being done.

“It gives families a moment of recognition and a form of reparation. It is a moment of reckoning for the convicted.”

Under the new legislation, judges will be able to sentence offenders for up to two more years in prison for avoiding justice.

Those already facing lengthy imprisonment or whole life orders could have a range of prison punishments, such as confinement to their cells and being stripped of privileges, such as extra gym time.

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Former Tory prime minister Rishi Sunak had pledged to change the law after meeting the mother of murdered nine-year-old Olivia Pratt-Korbel, and Sir Keir Starmer promised to enact it.

Olivia Pratt-Korbel
Image:
Olivia Pratt-Korbel was killed by Thomas Cashman, who refused to attend his sentencing hearing in 2023

Thomas Cashman, the gunman who killed Olivia as he chased a drug dealer who had run into her Liverpool home, did not appear in court to hear his life sentence in April 2023.

Earlier this year, triple crossbow and knife killer Kyle Clifford refused to attend his sentencing when he received a whole life order.

Southport child murderer Axel Rudakubana was removed from his sentencing hearing for repeatedly shouting in January.

Sabina Nessa was on her way to meet a friend when she was killed.
Image:
Teacher Sabina Nessa was killed by Koci Selamaj in 2021 after he drove to London to assault a stranger

Undated family handout photo issued by the Metropolitan Police of Zara Aleena. A sexual predator who stalked and murdered Zara Aleena is set to challenge his sentence at the Court of Appeal. Jordan McSweeney targeted at least five women before he turned his attention to 35-year-old Ms Aleena as she walked home from a night out early on June 26 2022. Issue date: Friday October 20, 2023.
Image:
Zara Aleena was killed by Jordan McSweeney, who should have been recalled to prison at the time. Pic: PA

Justice minister Alex Davies-Jones said: “I would like to thank the remarkable families of Olivia Pratt-Korbel, Jan Mustafa, Sabina Nessa and Zara Aleena and countless others who have campaigned tirelessly for offenders to have to face the reality of their crimes by attending their sentencing.

“Justice isn’t optional – we’ll make sure criminals face their victims.”

The bill also says it will restrict parental responsibility from child sex offenders who commit serious crimes against their own children.

The powers of the Victims’ Commissioner will also be strengthened to require them to produce an independent report on whether agencies are meeting their statutory duty over the Victim’s Code to hold the government to account.

Child protection charity the NSPCC backed the move, saying they hope it will improve how young victims and survivors are treated, but said it was “not a complete solution”.

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Teenagers to drive trains due to concerns over labour shortages

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Teenagers to drive trains due to concerns over labour shortages

Eighteen-year-olds will be allowed to drive trains due to concerns over labour shortages, the Department for Transport (DfT) has announced.

The current minimum age for someone wanting a career on the railways is 20.

But with 87% of night-before cancellations made because a driver is unavailable, the government has decided to lower the age of entry by a couple of years.

Several operators rely on drivers to work extra shifts voluntarily.

At present, the average age of a British train driver is 48, while 30% are due to reach retirement age by 2029.

A consultation on lowering the minimum age for drivers, carried out last year by the Conservative government, received “overwhelming support from across the industry”, the DfT said.

Other nations which have lowered the age for train drivers are France, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, officials added.

Transport for London opened driver apprenticeships on the Underground to 18-year-olds in 2007.

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Training to drive mainline trains generally takes between one and two years.

Assessment and qualification standards will be unchanged.

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Industry body the Rail Safety and Standards Board said its research had shown 18-year-olds are “capable of safely becoming train drivers”.

New job and apprenticeship opportunities could be available as early as December, the DfT said.

Heidi Alexander, the transport secretary, said the government was “future-proofing” the railways against “delays and cancellations caused by a shortage of drivers”.

Mick Whelan, general secretary of train drivers’ union Aslef, said: “At the moment, young people who want to become train drivers leave school or college at 18, get other jobs, and we miss out as an industry as they don’t wait around until they turn 20 to find a career.”

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Customer stabbed to death inside Lloyds bank in Derby – as two men arrested

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Customer stabbed to death inside Lloyds bank in Derby - as two men arrested

Two men have been arrested after a customer was stabbed to death inside a Lloyds bank.

The victim – a man in his 30s – was attacked at the branch in St Peter’s Street, Derby, at around 2.35pm on Tuesday.

He was pronounced dead at the scene, Derbyshire Police said.

A man in his 40s has been arrested on suspicion of murder, while another man in his 30s is being held on suspicion of assisting an offender. Both remain in police custody.

They were detained around 6pm at the same property in Western Road, Normanton.

Detective Inspector Tony Owen said: “No one else was hurt and while the investigation is at an early stage, at this time we are treating it as an isolated incident.”

The victim has not yet been formally identified, but police said his family had been made aware.

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A Lloyds spokesperson said: “We are deeply saddened by the incident at our Derby branch and our thoughts are with those affected.

“We are supporting our colleagues during this difficult time and will co-operate closely with the police.”

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