Travel misery is set to hit the M25 this weekend as a 10-mile stretch of the motorway shuts from Friday and Monday and the UK is forecast to get its best weather of the year so far.
Following a cool and wet start to Spring, the UK is set to bask in a mini heatwave this weekend.
London is set for temperatures of 24C across Saturday and Sunday, says the Met Office, while some parts of the country are predicted to hit 26C.
But those hoping to escape the capital and enjoy the good weather elsewhere are warned to expect major disruption on the roads, as a portion of Surrey's M25 will close for maintenance all weekend.
The M25 will shut in both directions between junctions 9 (A243 Leatherhead) and 10 (A3 Wisley), to allow concrete beams for a gyratory bridge and a gantry to be lifted into place.
The 10-mile stretch is due to shut from 9pm on Friday (May 10) until 6am on Monday (May 13).
High pressure will dominate for many this week, bringing more settled weather than of late 🌥️
— Met Office (@metoffice) May 7, 2024
Temperatures will also rise, and by Saturday we could see a high of around 26 °C in the southeast, with several places reaching around 21 degrees further north too 🌡️📈 pic.twitter.com/DvXdA23Qwj
National Highways has urged drivers to only travel in the area “if absolutely necessary”, warning of lengthy detours.
It is only the second such closure to have happened in the M25’s 38-year history, coming two months after a five-mile closure that brought havoc to the motorway and surrounding roads.
The stretch in Surrey closing this weekend typically carries between 4,000 and 6,000 vehicles per hour in each direction during key weekend hours, said National Highways.
Up to 270,000 vehicles pass through the junction that’s being worked on each weekday, making it one of the busiest stretches of road in the UK.
It will be the second of five full weekend closures of the M25 that take place this year, with a further three due between July and the end of the year.
In March, National Highways made the unprecedented move of closing the M25 between junctions 10 and 11 in March, to demolish a bridge and install a gantry, bringing chaos to nearby roads which were jammed with “chock-a-block” traffic.
The five-mile weekend closure marked the first time since the M25's opening in 1986 that all lanes were scheduled to be closed during the day.
The Met Office predicts temperatures are set to rise throughout the end of the week, reaching 22C on Thursday and 23C on Friday.
By Saturday, cloud is expected to clear making way for a bright and sunny day, and highs of 24C that are due to continue on Sunday.
The cloud is expected to return around Sunday lunchtime, with some rain forecast for the afternoon, before temperatures dip slightly next week.
