The M4 was closed in both directions for several hours on the afternoon of Thursday, May 23, due to a police incident. There were miles of queues on both sides of the carriageway with people urged to stay in their vehicle. The incident was centred on a bridge above the M4 between Junctions 37 and 38 (Pyle and Margam).
All traffic was held on both carriageways, with queues of up to 90 minutes at one point. Photos from the scene showed gridlocked traffic with motorists exiting their vehicles and others leaving the motorway at Junction 37 and turning around. The road was closed at around 12pm and started to re-open just before 3pm.
Both carriageways opened gradually while emergency services removed broken down vehicles from the queues. READ MORE: M4 closed in police incident and people stood on motorway stuck in miles of tailbacks READ MORE: Major search and mum's desperate plea as 20-year-old falls into river When was the M4 closed? Both carriageways of the M4 were closed between J37 and 38 (Pyle and Margam) at just after 12:30pm on Thursday, May 23. The road started to re-open gradually at around 3pm but some lanes remained closed westbound while emergency services moved broken down vehicles.
There were miles of queues both east and westbound while the incident was ongoing, with queues reaching 90 minutes at one point. Why was the M4 closed? South Wales Police confirmed that the road was closed due to a police incident on the bridge over the M4 between J37 and J38. How long wa.
