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M4 Travel News. Avoid Accidents and Roadworks

The M4 is a major motorway that connects London and South West England, running from London to South Wales. It is a vital part of the UK transport network and economy, but it can also be affected by roadworks, accidents and congestion.

Latest M4 Congestion Reports

If you are planning to travel on the M4 motorway, you need to stay updated with the latest traffic news and information.

Live M4 Accident Updates

Traffic delays for the M4 motorway in Southern England. Latest travel news from UK Traffic Delays official open source data.

Westbound M4 Roadworks and Delays

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Information supplied direct by Traffic Wales.

M48 : Westbound : J1 Aust to J4 M4 J23 Rogiet : Maintenance work : Road closed : 22/04/24-26/04/24 2000-0600 :

M4 : Eastbound : J42 Earlswood to J41 Pentyla/Baglan : Resurfacing work : Road closed : Local diversions in place 29/04/24-03/05/24 2000-0600 :

M4 : eastbound : j42 earlswood to j41 pentyla/baglan : resurfacing work : road closed : local diversions in place 28/04/24-29/04/24 2000-0600 :, m4 : westbound : j44 lon las : maintenance work : offslip closed : local diversions in place, m4 : westbound : j34 miskin : resurfacing work : entry slip road closed : 23/04/24-24/04/24 2000-0600 :, m4 : eastbound : j42 earlswood to j41 pentyla/baglan : resurfacing work : road closed : local diversions in place 23/04/24-26/04/24 2000-0600 :, m4 motorway map.

Live traffic flow information. Avoid M4 travel congestion and plan a smarter route.

Traffic delay information supplied by UK Traffic Delays. Live traffic reports, roadworks and travel news for the M4 motorway in England.

Our M4 travel news is as up to date as possible but please do always check with local radio news sources and always allow plenty of time for your journey.

UK Traffic Delays is a reliable source of updated UK travel information. National Highways data obtained under open licence. London travel information is used under license from TfL: Powered by TfL Open Data .

Our website contains public sector travel information licensed under the: Open Government Licence v3.0 .

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8 thoughts on “m4 travel news. avoid accidents and roadworks”.

Will M4 be closed at Pontabraham on Sunday 3rd September.Also what other roadworks the same day on M4.

On Saturday 19 March at approx midnight, I will drive from London to Windsor on the M4 hoping to exit at junction 6 for Windsor. Will I be able to do this smoothly or will there be deviations on my way to Windsor from London for M4 works on Saturday the 19th of March? Thanks

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Latest live M4 traffic news

Live m4 traffic news and updates for m4 junctions, plus real time travel reports on delays, accidents, roadworks and snow.

The M4 is the main road running between London and South Wales, passing via Slough, Reading, Swindon, Bristol, Newport, Cardiff and Swansea along the way. Much like the rest of the UK’s road network, the M4 has its areas most likely to cause tail backs – primarily where it joins the M25 on the west of London and also where it meets the M5 near Bristol. Naturally, accidents, roadworks and other traffic issues cause delays, so it pays to be on top of your journey before you start your engine.

There used to be a toll road charge to cross the M4 Severn bridge that joins England and Wales, but after 52 years, the charge was scrapped on December 17th 2018.

Generally the majority of the M4 tends to stay relatively clear, but the 189-mile route can see extra congestion during rush hour and summer holidays. If you’re planning to use any section of the M4 motorway, this page will be a useful aid for travel alerts, live updates and an incident map for both westbound and eastbound lanes.

Scroll down to find live tweets on the latest traffic conditions on the M4.  

M4 live motorway cameras

If there is traffic disruption on the M4 you can keep up to date on any delays with live traffic cameras for the eastbound and westbound M4.

M4 weather report

Details of the latest weather warnings in the M5 area from the Met Office...

• Met Office South West weather report

The history of the M4 

The Ministry of Transport first proposed a new road from London to South Wales in the 1930s. Plans for the M4 as one of the first major post-war trunk roads were produced in 1956 and construction began in 1961. The Chiswick flyover, a short section of elevated dual-carriageway built to reduce the impact of traffic travelling between central London and the west, opened in 1959 and later became part of the new M4 route. The section from J18 to the west of Newport was opened in 1966, including the Severn Bridge, which is now part of the M48.

The English section of the motorway was completed in December 1971 when the 50-mile stretch between Maidenhead and Swindon was opened for public use. The Welsh section was finished in 1993, when the Briton Ferry bridge opened. The Second Severn Crossing opened in 1996, and motorways on either side of the river carried the M4 over the new crossing when construction was finally completed. 

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M4 junctions

All of the M4 junctions on the southbound and northbound carriageways are detailed below... 

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Welcome to the M4 Traffic website.

M4 Traffic is dedicated to featuring the latest M4 traffic news, traffic updates , traffic reports, details of roadworks and other M4 news of interest to motorists using the M4 motorway. Information about the M4 Motorway. Easy.

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Motorists urged to 'avoid driving' in Reading as National Highways closes M4 for maintenance

• M4 motorway
• Friday 30 September 2022 at 12:58pm

Motorists have been warned of disruption to journey's in and around Reading, because of major road works that are taking place on the M4 this weekend.

Drivers are being told to avoid travelling in the town centre where possible as roads are likely to be extremely busy.

National Highways says it is closing the eastbound stretch between junctions 12 (Theale) and 11 (Reading) on Friday 30 September from 10pm to 6am.

It will then be closed again after 10pm on Saturday 1 October until 6am on Monday 3 October. 

The road was closed in the opposite direction last weekend, which led to 2 hour long queues in and around the Berkshire town.

Now, Reading Borough Council has said people should 'avoid driving' in Reading where possible, ahead of the latest round of works.

It added that the closure of the M4 last weekend for smart motorway works "caused significant disruption across the town" which is likely to continue for the duration of the work.

"Reading’s roads are nevertheless expected to be busy again" the authority said.

"We would urge residents and visitors to consider avoiding driving in Reading where it is possible and consider alternative forms of travel for the duration for the National Highways works over the coming weekends."

What will the diversion route be?

A signed diversion route will be using the A4 and A33.

Motorists will be taken off the motorway at Junction 12 and directed on to the A4.

Diversion signs will be clearly in place to the A33 at Junction 11, where motorists can rejoin the motorway.

There could also be some disruption during the day on Saturday, where there will be one lane closed on the eastbound stretch .

Are there any further closures?

National Highway are planning further closures over the coming weekends.

The eastbound stretch between junctions 11 (Reading) and 10 (Wokingham) will be closed from 7-10 October.

It will start after 10pm on Friday 7 October and the motorway will reopen by 6am on Monday 10 October 2022.

Traffic will be diverted onto the B3270, A3290 and the A329M.

The eastbound stretch will be closed again between junctions 11 (Reading) and 10 (Wokingham) from the evening of 15 October until the morning of 17 October.

The closure will start after 10pm on Saturday 15 October and the motorway will reopen by 6am on Monday 17 October 2022.

Traffic will be diverted onto the B3270, A3290 & the A329M.

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MOTORWAY RE-OPENS: M4 near Reading reopens after closure for police incident

The M4 near Reading has been re-opened following a closure for a police incident, but heavy delays are expected.

The motorway was closed in both directions between Junction 10 and Junction 11.

Emergency services attended, including Thames Valley Police.

National Highways have advised on diversion details:

“Road users are advised to follow the hollow square diversion symbol on westbound road signs:

“Leave the M4 at J10 and join the A329(M) towards Reading.

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“Leave the A329(M) at Winnersh (A329).

“Join the A329 and turn left at the roundabout adjacent to the railway bridge.

“Join the B3270 and follow to M4 J11 roundabout to re-join the M4 westbound.

“Road users are advised to follow the hollow circle diversion symbol on eastbound road signs:

“Leave the M4 at J11 and follow the B3270 to Winnersh.

“Join the A329 and turn right at the roundabout and follow the A329(M).

“Travel on the A329(M) and rejoin the M4 T J10.

“If this closure impacts on your planned route, please allow extra journey time. Plan ahead, you may wish to re-route or even delay your journey.”

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Traffic Reading

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• Nearby: Reading Henley On Thames Basildon Silchester Finchampstead Bracknell

Current traffic around Reading

The following traffic incidents and congestion for Reading have been reported by Highways England, Traffic Scotland, Traffic Wales or Transport for London (TfL) in the last two hours:

Traffic in Nearby Villages

• New Town (0.4mi)
• The Mount (0.57mi)
• Whiteknights (0.66mi)
• Lower Caversham (0.75mi)
• Coley (1mi)
• Foudry Brook (1.1mi)
• Caversham (1.58mi)
• Woodley (1.72mi)
• Whitley (1.96mi)
• Emmer Green (1.97mi)
• Caversham Heights (1.98mi)
• Earley (2mi)
• Littlestead Green (2mi)
• Sonning (2.11mi)
• Play Hatch (2.2mi)
• Whitley Wood (2.4mi)
• Lower Earley (2.41mi)
• Sonning Eye (2.55mi)
• Dunsden Green (2.61mi)
• Woodley Green (2.87mi)
• Southcote (2.94mi)
• Shinfield (3.04mi)
• Great Lea Common (3.13mi)
• Pingewood (3.17mi)

In 2017, an estimated 24,200 road traffic collisions occurred in Thames Valley, of which Reading is one borough. This represents a drop from 2016, where 32, 404 road traffic collisions were reported..From these figures, around 15% of them (3,606 collisions) occurred in Reading.

Of the collisions reported across Thames Valley in 2017, 651 of them were fatal or serious. Approximately 5 percent (97) of these occurred in Reading.

In 2017, the number of reported fatalities and serious injuries in Reading was 25. This figure dropped from 2016, which reported 39 fatalities and serious injuries.

The UK Department for Transport reported that the most common cause of reported accidents in Reading during 2017 was “driver inattention” at 34%, followed by “emergency manoeuvre” at 17%, and then “driver Impairment” at 12%.

In 2018, the government released the National Travel Survey 2018 which showed that the majority of travel journeys in Reading (78%) were made by car or van. This percentage was higher than the average across the UK (75%) which suggests that Reading citizens rely heavily on private vehicles for their transportation.

Overall, the roads around Reading are relatively safe. The decrease in road accident figures since 2016 clearly shows that the enforcement of road traffic laws and increase in public awareness of road safety measures is having a positive effect on traffic safety.

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Overturned van and car fire caused long M4 delays near Slough and Reading - recap

Two sections of the M4 were affected by incidents on Monday morning (November 6)

• Updated 09:23, 8 NOV 2023

Long delays were reported on the M4 due to separate incidents on Monday (November 6). An overturned van led to an M4 closure near Windsor while a car fire has resulted in traffic being halted near Reading.

The van overturned around 6.30am on Monday morning at J6 A355 Royal Windsor Way near Slough and Windsor. A van crashed and overturned on the carriageway blocking lanes and leading to a closure of the westbound carriageway.

While all lanes reopened at 8.25am, there were residual delays of up to 30 minutes. Further delays had been reported at J11 A33 Basingstoke Road due to a car fire at around 8.30am.

READ MORE: Newbury dog walker dies after being hit by car

Traffic cameras showed a car in flames on the hard shoulder of the westbound carriageway. All traffic was halted temporarily while emergency services dealt with the incident. Both incidents have since been resolved.

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Traffic has returned to normal

Traffic on the M4 westbound near Reading has now returned to normal after a car fire this morning. Long queues were reported on the M4 around J11 after a car fire while long queues were also affecting the M4 near Slough/Windsor after a van overturned. Both incidents have now been resolved and traffic has returned to normal.

All lanes have reopened

All lanes have now reopened on the M4 westbound J11. The road was previously closed following a car fire before being reopened in stages. The final two lanes have now reopened but heavy traffic continues to affect the carriageway.

Congestion towards Wokingham and 30-minute delays

Long queues are still affecting the M4 westbound near Reading after a car fire at 8.30am. Traffic monitoring site INRIX has since said: "Long delays and two lanes closed due to vehicle fire on M4 Westbound at J11 A33 Basingstoke Road (Reading). Congestion to J10 (Wokingham / Bracknell). Travel time is 30 minutes. Traffic was held earlier, however, lanes one and two (of four) remain closed."

M4 clears near Slough and Windsor after overturned van

Traffic has returned to normal on the M4 near Slough and Windsor after a van overturned at around 6.30am this morning. The road was closed until 8.25am to allow for the vehicle to be recovered.

Traffic monitoring website INRIX has since said: "Long delays cleared, earlier overturned lorry on M4 Westbound at J6 A355 Royal Windsor Way (Slough / Windsor)."

Traffic cameras show long queues near Reading

Three lanes remain closed near Reading after car fire

The halting of traffic has ended on the M4 near Reading but three lanes remain closed. Long queues have formed due to a car fire at around 8.30am. The fire has now been extinguished but emergency responders are waiting for the vehicle to be recovered.

In a tweet, National Highways said: "The vehicle fire on the M4 westbound within J11 for has now been extinguished. Traffic has been released past the scene with lanes 1 ,2 and 3 of (5) remaining closed for vehicle recovery and carriageway inspection."

Traffic held to 'extinguish the blaze safely'

Due to a vehicle fire, the #M4 is currently held eastbound within J11 ( #Reading ) to allow the fire service to extinguish the blaze safely. #TrafficOfficers are on the scene to assess any damage to the carriageway and arrange recovery for the car. There are 30-minute delays pic.twitter.com/gAUIuImXRt — National Highways: East (@HighwaysEAST) November 6, 2023

Long queues still affecting M4 near Reading

Long queues of traffic have built on the M4 south of Reading after a car fire at around 8.30am this morning. The AA Traffic News website shows the location of the incident and the extent of queues caused.

Welcome to our live blog

Good morning everyone and welcome to our live blog. We will seek to bring you any further updates on these two incidents affecting the M4 this morning.

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Independent Travel to Moscow and St. Petersburg

My wife and I have traveled independently to many European countries and, after reading many of the comments in this forum, feel like we may be able to do so in Moscow and St. Petersburg as well, although we feel somewhat less comfortable than the other countries where we have traveled in Europe.

My biggest question is how much we will miss by visiting the main sites without a tour guide. In the other European countries we have visited on our own we have been comfortable and satisfied with the level of knowledge we have gained by studying and visiting on our own, although we believe a tour guide or tour company in any country would normally be able to provide greater insight than visiting a site on our own, but about in Moscow and St. Petersburg?

Any thoughts would be appreciated.

Unless you speak at least some Russian and read the alphabet it would be difficult without a guide. Very few signs in English especially in Moscow. Also not too many people speak English there.

I visited St Petersburg last Autumn for a protracted period , and did not find it anymore daunting than any other European city . As Ilja says , learning the Cyrillic alphabet is a big plus . I also found that it was fairly easy to grasp . It will , among other things , enable you to read signs with relative ease . I would answer the main part or your question ( about tour guides ) thus - I am not enamored of tour guides or tours. While I only use a tour under duress ( A sites rules prohibiting an independent visit - ie Glasgow School of Art , Municipal House in Prague , etc ) . Doing your own preparation and homework is the best way , in my opinion . My wife and I ventured through St Petersburg with nary a concern ,and made two day trips outside of the central district ( one was twenty five miles away , and no English speakers in sight ) Figuring out the logistical details , did not present any difficulties . While I never use tours , I am an inveterate eavesdropper , have done so many times , and find , that on balance , the information that they impart is fairly elementary . If you want greater detail , they are unlikely to supply it . I also prefer to go at my own pace , not being rushed and being able to dwell on things that most other visitors barely give a passing glance . If you are interested , let me know . I would be happy to provide you with information that will enable you to travel independently

Thank you, Steven. I am encouraged by your comments and feel the same way you do about tour groups. We are very much willing to prepare in advance and learn the basics of the Cyrillic alphabet to help us have a better experience.

I would be very interested in learning more about your experience in Russia and receiving any additional information you can provide on independent travel there, starting perhaps with obtaining the visa.

I am not opposed to hiring a private or small group guide for a specific site or for a day trip outside St Petersburg and Moscow, but, like you said, I much prefer the freedom of staying at places as long or short as I want and seeing the sites that interest me most. For example, neither my wife nor I are big into shopping, yet most tour itineraries leave afternoon time for just that. Not interested!

Please provide whatever you may feel would be helpful for us.

Russ , I see you are quite near San Francisco - you can start by looking at the VISA procedure , it's fairly straightforward . Since there is a consulate in San Francisco - look here http://www.consulrussia.org/eng/visa-sub1.html

And here - http://ils-usa.com/main.php

Having always traveled independently, we thought we could do a better job than any tour. How misguided (pun intended) we were. Now that we have had the experience of having someone native to the area walk us around and explain things through a personal perspective we realize how much we missed. For St. Petersburg I highly recommend http://www.peterswalk.com/tours.html . This is not a traditional guided tour, but an opportunity to receive some orientation to the area as well as insight into the "Russian soul". I think if you did this upon arrival the rest of your time would be much more meaningful. We really liked the http://www.pushka-inn.com . The location is superb (just around the corner from the Hermitage square), the rooms lovely, the included breakfast at the restaurant next door ample and overall an excellent value. We used this company to get our visa: https://www.passportvisasexpress.com/site/san_francisco_customer_service Note that it costs about the same for a 3-year visa as a one-year, and you never know if you might want to return within that more extended window of time. It is not cheap, so factor that into your planning.

If you like traveling without a guide in other countries and find this satisfying, the same will be true in Moscow and St. Petersburg. Of course it's not either/or - you can certainly take a guided walk or boat tour, for instance.

I cannot emphasize enough the importance of learning Cyrillic if you're going on your own. The book I used was Teach Yourself Beginner's Russian Script, which was great. It breaks down the alphabet into letters that are the same as English, letters that look the same but are pronounced differently, etc. It's out of print, but you can get used copies on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Teach-Yourself-Beginners-Russian-Script/dp/0071419861/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1459701143&sr=8-2&keywords=teach+yourself+russian+script

Russia is indeed a bit more "foreign" than say, Italy. However, in Moscow and St. Petersburg, I found enough English to be able to get by. Many restaurants had English menus and/or English speaking staff, for instance. This was most emphatically not true in Vladimir and Suzdal (two cities in the Golden Ring outside Moscow). I went with my sister, a Russian speaker, and if she hadn't been there, I would have been in big trouble. So, if you want to see places outside these two big cities, use a guided tour (even if just for that part). Also, Moscow and St. Petersburg are huge cities. Coming from New York, I wasn't intimidated, but those not used to a megacity may not be so cavalier (even I found them overwhelming at times, especially Moscow).

I found both Lonely Planet and Rough Guide to be helpful, and both to have various errors. Look at both, buy whichever one has a more recent edition, and then be prepared to have to discard some of the advice therein. Also, these places change more quickly than places in Western Europe. Be very careful of outdated advice. For instance, I was there in 2001 and 2010, so I won't give you any specifics on getting a visa - that changes constantly.

Just as a teaser, two things I saw and loved that I doubt would be included in any escorted tour are the Gorky House in Moscow (an Art Nouveau wonder) and the Sheremyetov Palace in St. Petersburg (it's now a museum of musical instruments, and the decor is amazing, particularly in the Etruscan Room).

Thanks for all the good advice. Any additional thoughts are welcomed.

One of history's seminal works pertaining to Russian history and culture and a MUST for anyone contemplating a visit or simply interested , is this fine work from 1980 - http://www.amazon.com/Land-Firebird-The-Beauty-Russia/dp/096441841X

This is about you and not about Petersburg. Do you like guided tours? We don't and didn't find that a guide added to our experience in China where we did hire private guides mostly for the logistics; it was easy to have someone drive us places. But once at a site, we didn't need the guide. I felt the same way about our 9 nights in Petersburg. We did hire a guide for the trip to the Catherine Palace again for the ease of logistics for us Olds. Here is our visit: https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2016/01/23/an-easy-trip-to-the-catherine-palace/ There are also snapshots of the Church on Spilled Blood in this photo journal. Having someone pick us up at the apartment and get us in without line ups and shepherd us through the palace steering clear of the tour groups was lovely. But we didn't need commentary because we can read and prepare.

You certainly don't need a guide for the Hermitage (we spent 4 days there), the Russian Museum, the Kazan Cathedral or Church on Spilled Blood or the Faberge Museum. We enjoyed a number of self guided walking tours including a couple from Rick Steves guidebooks. We took the canal cruise suggested by RS that had an English commentator. I would not take one without that as you will be totally clueless. The commentator was not all that good but at least we had some idea what we were seeing. So for people like us who like to do our own thing and can read a guidebook and don't particularly like to be led about, a tour is not needed. If you enjoy tour groups, then go for it. Petersburg is easy to negotiate. It helps if you can read the cyrillic alphabet and it is also useful to have the google translate ap on your phone. We found ourselves translating packages in grocery stores with it and the occasional museum sign or menu. I have one food I need to avoid and so it was handy to have the translator to talk with waiters (I could either show them the sentence, or play it for them or play it to myself and then repeat it to the waiter -- that all worked well)

Dear Russ, I cannot help you with Moscow, but about four years ago, my husband and I went to St Petersburg on our own. But, we did use a private guide for 4 half days. We both feel that our guide absolutely made our trip (we stayed 6 or 7 nights). We used a company owned by Tatyana Chiurikova, www.tour-stpetersburg.com I cannot say enough good things about her and our experience. I emailed her and we worked out a schedule/ sights that was tailored to our interests. She also offered some recommendations, which we took. The guide will meet you at your hotel. And frequently, at certain places, with the guide, we were able to skip the long entrance lines. We had an half day driving tour of the city (car, driver, & guide). You are taken to & go in places such as Peter & Paul Fortress, some of the cathedrals, etc. We had a half day with the guide at the Hermitage which ensured that we would see the major sights there. And, of course, you can stay after your guide leaves or return another day. Also, we had the guide for Peterhof (a must & go by boat) and Catherine's Palace. I hope that you will go to the website. As I said, our guide made our trip. I am positive that we would have missed quite a bit on our own everyday. And I'm sure we would have wasted a lot of time trying to get to various place.This was the best of both worlds, a guide where needed and plenty of time on our own. Whatever you do, I'm sure that you will love St Petersburg! Ashley

I am curious about the lines as we encountered no lines on our trip -- but it was in September. We got tickets for the Hermitage at machines and skipped those lines and our guide for the Catherine Palace which was our only guided experience (as noted before, chosen for the logistics of getting there) had arranged tickets and we didn't have a line, but then we also didn't see lines. We did not find lines at any other site.

Both Moscow and St Petersburg I've done on my own, that is together with the Dear Partner. I can't remember any problem getting where we wanted to go. The Metro systems are well signed, and with a little exercise and patience you can recognize the station names. With a good map and a good guide - we had the Rough Guides - that part of the logistics is solved. The language is a major problem, but the usual tricks of pointing, looking helpless, and making a joke of it all do wonders. I would hate to be led by a guide, but for others it is a comfortable thought.

We also did both cities on our own. I found the DK Eyewitness guide for Moscow has the best map. I used the one from our library (kept the book at home). Took the smaller RS book for St. Petersburg ( his book on northern cities). His map and restaurant ideas were all good. We also downloaded the Google maps in our Android Samsung tablets/phones for both cities and then could get directions to any place we typed in. The blue ball guided us everywhere. I'm sure we missed somethings by not having a guide, but we just enjoy walking around and getting a sense of a place. If you like art, The Hermitage is great. We went 3 times and still missed alot. In St. Peterburg we stayed at the 3 Mosta which we loved (quite and not far from the Church of Spilled Blood.) We also loved the Georgian food in both cities. There's a great Georgian restaurant near the 3 Mosta hotel. We're now in Belarus- very scenic. Enjoy your trip!!

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