National Highways is advising drivers travelling on the M5 southbound in the South West to allow extra time for their journeys ahead of emergency repairs taking place tomorrow night (17 February) at junction 25 near Taunton.

A carriageway defect has been identified on the southbound carriageway of the junction 25 bridge deck and a lane 1 closure will initially be put in place tonight for safety reasons, with a 50mph speed restriction operating for lanes 2 and 3 within the roadworks section.

To enable the emergency resurfacing work tomorrow night, the M5 southbound will be closed between junctions 24 and 25 from 9pm on Saturday to 6am on Sunday, when the carriageway will be fully restored to three lanes.

For the full overnight closure, traffic will be diverted via the A38 from junction 24 to rejoin the M5 at junction 25, and National Highways is advising people to plan ahead and allow extra time for their journeys.

Up-to-date travel information is available from National Highways by visiting www.trafficengland.com and Twitter updates are also available at @HighwaysSWEST. For urgent real-time assistance, our 24/7 contact centre team is able to provide up-to-the minute information on 0300 123 5000.