Motorists using the M25 around London face a weekend of disruption, with National Highways scheduling overnight closures at seven junctions on the orbital motorway between tonight and Monday morning.
Most of the shutdowns are confined to the overnight hours, but one slip road — the anti-clockwise exit at junction 11 — will remain out of action for the entire weekend, closing at 11pm on Friday and not reopening until 5am on Monday.
Friday night
Seven restrictions are due to begin tonight. The anti-clockwise entry slip road at junction 13, together with the link road onto the A30, will be closed from 11pm until 6am on Saturday.
At junction 15, the clockwise links carrying M25 traffic onto the M4 eastbound and westbound at junction 4B will be shut between 11pm and 6am, while the anti-clockwise link from junction 10 to the A3 northbound at Wisley closes from 11pm until 5.30am.
On the eastern side of the motorway, the clockwise carriageway at junction 30 will be shut between its entry and exit slip roads from 11pm to 6am, and the clockwise entry slip road at junction 31 will close from 11pm until 5.30am.
Drivers heading through the northern section should also be aware that the northern quadrant of the junction 25 roundabout will be closed in both directions from 11.59pm until 6am.
Saturday night
The junction 11 exit slip road will remain closed throughout Saturday. A further overnight restriction is scheduled at junction 15 on Saturday night, when the clockwise carriageway will be closed between the exit and entry slip roads from 10pm until 6am on Sunday.
Sunday night
Two restrictions are listed for Sunday. The anti-clockwise exit slip road at junction 11 stays shut, with the closure due to end at 5am on Monday. The anti-clockwise links from junction 15 to the M4 eastbound and westbound at junction 4B will then close from 10.30pm on Sunday until 5.30am on Monday.
The closures follow a rolling programme of planned shutdowns on the motorway, and come in the same week the M25 saw unplanned disruption when a crash shut two lanes between Potters Bar and Enfield.
No signed diversion routes have been published for the works, so the advice is to plan ahead rather than improvising at the last gantry. Drivers are urged to allow extra time for their journeys and to check conditions before setting off, as planned roadworks can change at short notice — particularly during periods of poor weather.
The junction 11 closure is the one most likely to catch drivers out. It serves Chertsey and the surrounding area, so anyone who would normally leave the anti-clockwise carriageway there will need to stay on the motorway and double back from a later junction — adding both time and miles to the trip. Unlike the other restrictions, it runs through daylight hours on Saturday and Sunday rather than just overnight.
How to check before you travel
National Highways publishes live traffic information through its Traffic England service and the travel updates section of its website, which show current closures, delays and roadworks across the network. Checking the live map before leaving — and again before the return leg — is the most reliable way to confirm whether the works are going ahead as planned, especially given the warning that schedules can shift at short notice.
It is also worth filling up and planning fuel stops in advance if your route takes you past the affected junctions, as the closed slip roads remove the usual escape routes to service areas and local roads. Where possible, timing journeys outside the closure windows — before 10pm or after 6am — will avoid the restrictions altogether.
The motorway closures coincide with weekend engineering works affecting parts of the Tube and Overground network, so anyone combining a drive with public transport should check both before travelling.
