Major motorway brought to a standstill after multi-vehicle crash with 2 MILES of delays for thousands of drivers
National Highways has warned that the M5 has been shut with motorists told they should expect to face down hour long delays.
Traffic has been backed up for two miles following the multi-vehicle collision in Gloucestershire.
Motorists are currently being held between junction 14 Thornbury and junction 15 Almondsbury while the collision is dealt with.
Drivers have been facing delays since around 7:30am this morning.
National Highways said in a statement on social media: "Traffic is currently stopped on the M5 southbound between J14 Thornbury and J15 Almondsbury due to a multi vehicle collision.
" National Highways Traffic Officers are on scene.
"There is currently approx. 2 miles of congestion on approach."
1
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Top Gear
44 minutes ago
- Top Gear
‘Well done, clowns': DVSA introduces IQ test for owners of 500bhp+ family SUVs
'Well done, clowns': DVSA introduces IQ test for owners of 500bhp+ family SUVs New exams are due to small minority unable to understand basic common sense Skip 1 photos in the image carousel and continue reading Turn on Javascript to see all the available pictures. Here's roving correspondent, Cory Spondent, with his mostly incorrect exclusives from the world of motoring The DVSA is set to announce mandatory IQ tests for anyone in possession of a family SUV producing more than 500bhp, insiders have revealed. Advertisement - Page continues below It follows an unprecedented rise in road-going idiocy and inexplicable driving behaviour from a small minority of motorists who have, as usual, absolutely ruined it for everyone. The radical new plan will see compulsory intelligence exams for applicable owners to test their understanding of the basic laws of motion and assess their ability to follow the most rudimentary tenets of common sense. One example given by officials is that 'Track' mode in a large, tall car weighing close to three tonnes is 'probably a bit unnecessary' when travelling through a 30mph residential area. 'Currently anybody able to take up an attractive lease offer can get themselves into an overpowered, street-legal space shuttle without ever understanding basic principles of speed, mass, geography and public decorum. Advertisement - Page continues below 'We've had a few reports of drivers of such cars fishtailing out of junctions and nearly swiping everyone around them because they did not fully comprehend the notion that 500bhp+ on a wet road in an inexplicably large car will end up in a spin if you just bury the throttle. 'Most people with even a passing interest in the workings of dynamics could have spotted this. Not these people. So we're going to have to ruin it for everyone. 'Slow clap. Well done, clowns.' Top Gear Newsletter Thank you for subscribing to our newsletter. Look out for your regular round-up of news, reviews and offers in your inbox. Get all the latest news, reviews and exclusives, direct to your inbox. Success Your Email*
Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Auto Trader has been selling cars too quickly for its own good
The UK economy's outlook is significantly more positive than many investors realise. For example, inflation is set to gradually fall to the Bank of England's 2pc target over the next 18 months. This should allow further monetary policy easing to take place that, alongside the impact of recent interest rate cuts, boosts economic growth. Clearly, the existence of time lags following interest rate cuts, fiscal policy uncertainty and ongoing geopolitical risks could weigh on the UK economy's near-term performance, but in an era of lower inflation and an increasingly loose monetary policy, the direction of travel for the profits and share prices of UK-focused firms is highly likely to be materially upwards over the coming years. As a result, Questor continues to be bullish about the prospects for Auto Trader Group. The online automotive marketplace is well placed to benefit from an increasingly upbeat consumer outlook amid further positive real-terms wage growth, particularly as it enjoys an extremely dominant market position. In fact, it is 10 times larger than its nearest competitor, with its website home to over 75pc of every minute spent on automotive marketplaces in the UK. Furthermore, its latest annual results showed that return on equity was around 50pc. This is exceptionally high and, even more impressively, was achieved in tandem with extremely low debt levels. In fact, the firm's net debt position from 2024 reached a net cash position amounting to £15m in 2025. This means the business is capable of continuing to invest in its operations even if the aforementioned geopolitical risks come to the fore in the short run. A strong competitive position meant the company was able to further raise prices during its latest financial year. Indeed, its significant pricing power will allow it to benefit from any improvement in the operating conditions and profitability of automotive retailers as interest rates and inflation both fall. With a constant stream of new products being launched, including those that harness artificial intelligence, it seems likely that the firm will at least maintain its substantial competitive advantage in future. Of course, investor sentiment towards Auto Trader has been highly erratic of late. The firm's latest annual results prompted a sudden 11pc share price slump on the day of their release in May. Although the company posted a 12pc rise in earnings, revenue growth dropped by nine percentage points to 5pc. This was partly caused by vehicles listed on its platform selling at a faster rate than in the prior year, thereby reducing demand for the firm's advertising opportunities, which could persist for at least part of the current year. While the stock's price has only partially recovered from its slump, it has still risen by 78pc since Questor tipped the company as a 'buy' during September 2018. In doing so, it has outperformed the FTSE 100 by 61 percentage points. Despite this, the company's price-to-earnings ratio of 26 is unchanged from its level at the time of our original tip. While it is undoubtedly a generous rating compared with many other large-cap shares, even while the FTSE 100 trades close to a record high, this column believes it still represents fair value for money. The company, for example, is due to deliver annualised profit growth of 11pc over the next two years. Furthermore, its solid financial position and clear competitive advantage mean it is a high-quality business that deserves a premium rating compared with the wider index. Of course, investors should not conflate an upbeat UK economic outlook with a period of plain sailing for share prices. Even during its most bullish periods of yesteryear, the stock market has still experienced bouts of extreme volatility. Similarly, the economy's improving performance is unlikely to be smooth progress, with inflation set to prove sticky at times and interest rate cuts likely to take many months to fully impact GDP growth, wage growth and, ultimately, the operating environment for UK-focused firms. However, in Questor's view, investors who back high-quality UK-focused stocks such as Auto Trader, take a long-term view and accept elevated volatility in the short run are likely to ultimately be handsomely rewarded.
Top Gear
4 hours ago
- Top Gear
Aston Martin Vanquish Volante Review 2025
You thought BMW was into big grilles? Just have a look at the faces of the current Aston Martin range. The new Vanquish Volante is an absolute stunner though, and everything about this open-topped, self-proclaimed 'Super GT' is big. The mouth itself is apparently 13 per cent bigger than the one on the previous DBS Superleggera Volante. That's to help with cooling, of course, but we reckon the designers didn't mind having to go large. There's also a 25mm wider rear track and an extra 80mm in the wheelbase compared to the old car. Heck, just look at the length of the carbon bonnet. Advertisement - Page continues below What's under that bonnet? Has Aston been downsizing? Absolutely not. Said bonnet hides a twin-turbo 5.2-litre V12 that sends a terrifying 824bhp and 738lb ft of torque to the rear wheels through an eight-speed auto gearbox by ZF. Aston freely admits that it wants this car to be just a little bit scary, and it's got the proportions of a proper old school muscle car. Oh, and if for some reason you can't see the roof, you'll be able to tell the Volante apart thanks to its lower rear lip spoiler. The floating 'shield' is still there on the rear though and can be specced in myriad different ways. So, is it fast? Absolutely. The Volante may be saddled with an extra 95kg over the Vanquish coupe thanks to the roof mechanism and some extra body strengthening, but it's still alarmingly quick. That should be obvious with an on-paper 0-62mph time of 3.4 seconds (one tenth slower than the coupe) and a top speed of 214mph. But it's the way it gets there that's so visceral, particularly if you spec the lightweight titanium exhaust option and spend 14-seconds dropping the neat 'K-fold' roof. Advertisement - Page continues below And it's not just straight-line speed either, the big Aston gets an e-diff on the rear axle and will go round corners too. Click through to the Driving tab of this review for all the detail. And it's not just straight-line speed either, the big Aston gets an e-diff on the rear axle and manages to shrink itself when things get twisty. This is a near two-tonne car so it's not the last word in steering feel, but it's got a sharp front end and drive modes that allow you to change its character. Click through to the Driving for a full debrief. Tell me more about that roof… Ah yes, that's why you're here isn't it? Aston has gone for a fabric top that can pop back up again at the touch of a button in just 16 seconds. You can operate it both ways at speeds of up to 31mph, and while stowed it sits at just 260mm tall so the rear deck can remain remarkably flat. It also has many layers of insulation, and Aston claims that it offers 'a level of thermal insulation directly comparable to Vanquish Coupe'. Blimey. How much does it cost? Prices should start at around £15k more than the Vanquish coupe, so you're looking at an entry price of around £345,000. Yikes. And you'd better ask the bank manager for even more than that, because the options list is endless and Aston says that over 70 per cent of Vanquish coupes sold so far have had some form of bespoke work carried out by its special Q department. You'll want to get in quick too, because Aston will only build 1,000 examples of the Vanquish each year, with the coupe and convertible both contributing to that overall number. It's probably worth noting that you will actually be saving yourself some cash if you go for the Vanquish over its main rival, though. That's the £366,500 Ferrari 12Cilindri Spider, which also features a whopping V12 engine but does without turbocharging. Your call. Failing that, the bargain bin option is the Bentley Continental GTC. Not something we ever imagined saying about a Bentley. Or a V8 hybrid with more power than a Le Mans Hypercar. But here we are. What's the verdict? ' It doesn't feel as though chopping the roof off has had an adverse effect on the ride and handling ' The Vanquish Volante's headline figures and muscle car looks might make you think that it'd only tell a bedtime horror story, but this is actually a car with a real breadth of ability. It'll sing you a nice lullaby too if you ask it nicely and stick with its softer GT mode. We're yet to drive it back-to-back with a coupe, but it doesn't feel as though chopping the roof off has had an adverse effect on the ride and handling, and it just means that booming V12 sound is even more accessible. Plus, even though it's a fabric roof you could still comfortably cross continents in this thing while still chatting to a passenger or making hands-free calls. Just remember to hang up when things get twisty, because with over 800bhp heading to the rear wheels, the Vanquish still has the ability to transform into a supercar that demands your full attention.
