Police have appealed for information after the body of a woman was found on the M5 near Burnham-On-Sea early on Friday morning (November 10th), causing a four-hour closure of the motorway and leading to the huge traffic delays pictured here.
Avon and Somerset police said the body was discovered at 6.05am at Rooksbridge, on the northbound carriageway between Burnham-On-Sea and Weston-super-Mare.
“It is believed a woman, aged in her 70s, fell from the Edithmead Road overbridge onto the carriageway,” a police spokesman told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
“Police are keen to speak to anyone who may have seen the incident, especially the drivers of a Somerfield lorry and a Tesco lorry which were believed to be in the area at the time.”
The motorway was closed northbound between junction 22 at Burnham and junction 21 at Weston for over four hours, with lane three of the northbound carriageway re-opening at 10am and all three carriageways opening at 1pm.
“The body of a woman was found on the northbound carriageway north of the Rooksbridge overbridge. The M5 and the minor road which crosses the motorway from the village of Rooksbridge to the A370 were closed,” the spokesman added.
Significant delays built up throughout the area and police warned motorists to seek alternative routes. Traffic through Highbridge and Brent Knoll was at a standstill and lengthy queues of traffic also built up along Love Lane. Traffic finally returned to normal at 2.30pm.
Anyone with information should contact the Police Collision Investigation Unit on 0845 4567000.
