M5 closure junctions 30 and 31

Freedom of Information (FOI) Act request ref: 01/FOI/26/010002/V

Version Date: 18/06/2026

The Roads Policing Department, the Corporate Communications Department and the North and West Devon BCU have provided the following information:

I would like to know the decision making on the day because it was a total disaster with all the diverted routes blocked!.. surely there would have been a better way of handling it… were the fire brigade in attendance and who was in charge?

Police were the lead agency. All emergency services were in attendance including Devon Highways and it was declared a critical incident. There was a multiagency TCG (Tactical coordination group) who met at 0815 to discuss the incident and it was resolved a short while after.

The incident involved a young person in crisis. It is standard procedure to close a road in such instances to protect the individual and motorists.  

Two Facebook posts were put out on our Forcewide channel and are reproduced below:

18/05/26 07:30 (approx)

LATEST NEWS | M5 Closure in place

A closure is currently in place between junction 30 (for Exeter) & 31 (for Okehampton) this morning.

Police were called at around 3.50am this morning, Monday 18 May, to reports of a concern of welfare of a female in Clyst St Mary, Exeter. As part of this enquiry, the female was later located on the wrong side of the railings on a bridge over the M5. 

Officers and police negotiators are currently at the scene and a full road closure of the M5 have been put in place as a result.

Multiple diversions have been put in place and motorists are being asked to avoid the area and find alternative routes.

We will update the public as soon as the incident has been resolved.

18/05/26 09:42

LATEST NEWS | The M5 has reopened following an incident between junction 30 (for Exeter) & 31 (for Okehampton) this morning.
We are pleased to report that a female located on the wrong side of the railings on a bridge over the M5 has made her way to a safe place and been taken into the care of the emergency services.
The road has now reopened in both directions.
We’d like to thank motorists in the area for their patience.

The story was also picked up by the local press:

 M5 near Exeter closed due to concern for woman's welfare | Midweek Herald