A car crashed on the M48 Severn Bridge this afternoon after a driver foolishly ignored signs indicating that the bridge was closed. High wind speeds forced officials to close the bridge between Bristol and Wales this afternoon, Thursday, March 28, but that one driver decided that the closure did not apply to them and attempted to make the crossing anyway.
The West Country has been hit hard by a barrage of bad weather, including thunderstorms and hail showers. The region was also hit by very strong winds, with some gusts exceeding 50mph causing dangerous conditions on the road. As a result, National Highways closed the bridge at around 3pm.
The driver that decided to ignore the warnings learnt their lesson the hard way. They wound up getting caught in a strong gust of wind, losing control and crashing the car, Avon and Somerset Police Roads Policing Unit (RPU) said in a scathing post on social media.
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In a post on X, previously known as Twitter, the account wrote: "Today @HighwaysSWEST closed the M48 bridge due to high winds, however this driver decided to ignore the signs & got caught out by a heavy gust. This action not only put their life in danger but also those of the responding emergency services. It’s closed for a reason! @ASPolice."
National Highways said the Severn Estuary can funnel strong winds across both the Severn Bridge and the Prince of Wales Bridge, which can be hazardous for traffic. The M48 bridge is closed when wind gusts exceed 46mph, while the M4 bridge is closed when more powerful winds are expected, with gusts of around 80mph.
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More wet and gusty weather is on the way this weekend, with the Met Office predicting an Easter washout. Deputy Chief Metereologist, Dan Harris, said: “The weather is expected to gradually improve following the widely unsettled spell of the past few days, with a fairly typical mix of spring-like weather across the UK.
"There will be some sunshine, and it will feel increasingly warm for most as the winds become lighter. However, the west and especially southwest is likely to see passing showers too, which could be quite heavy and frequent at times. Eastern coastal districts are also likely to feel increasingly cold as an onshore breeze develops, threatening persistent low cloud in some areas too.”
