M4 chaos: Drivers face delays and congestion on major motorway as animals block traffic

Drivers are being warned of delays on the M4 this morning after animals were caught on the carriageway.

Traffic was held earlier this morning on the M4 in Gloucestershire in both directions between Junction 20 (M5/Almondsbury) and Junction 19 (Stoke Gifford).

Writing on social media site X, formerly known as Twitter, National Highways: South-West confirmed that its traffic officers were on the scene managing the incident.

At around 5.30am, the transport organisation reported delays of 30 minutes in both directions approaching the closure.

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It has since been confirmed that the animals have been safely removed from the motorway, although drivers may still be affected.

National Highways reported residual delays of 20 minutes and two miles of congestion on the approach.

Traffic cameras from the scene show police cars stopping traffic, with officers halting the morning traffic.

What appears to be a horse can be seen on the hard shoulder of the motorway with a police car parked horizontally across the carriageway.

Live data from National Highways shows stationary and slow-moving traffic near the private Bristol Filton Airport.

Animals halting traffic is a regular occurrence for National Highways, with the transport organisation often warning drivers of delays.

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A notable case last December saw officers rescue a lost swan on the M1 near Northampton after it was seen wandering across the motorway.

Footage from traffic cameras showed columns of vehicles halted on the M1 as a swan was spotted in the middle of the carriageway.

The swan was safely caught using a swan bag and was transported to a small lake at Junction 16 of the M1, near Northampton.

National Highways Traffic Officer Adrian Woods said when roads are wet, or a haze is present across the carriageway, swas may mistake the road for a body of water.

He added: "It is a bit of a shock when they hit the ground, so the swan was a bit confused and its ego bruised.

"The incident was dealt with in around 10 minutes with traffic flowing again and the bird taken to a nearby lake where it was soon swimming away."

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