Drivers who ignore signs for diversion risk ULEZ fines during closure

•  Failure to pay the ULEZ charge when required can result in a £180 fine

Drivers who ignore signs for a 19-mile diversion during the closure of the M25 and try and find shortcuts risk being slapped with ULEZ fines, a highways boss has warned.

National Highways warned that anyone ignoring diversion signs in an attempt to find shorter alternative routes will be liable for the £12.50 daily Ulez fee if their vehicle does not meet minimum emissions standards.

Failure to pay the charge when required can result in a £180 fine, reduced to £90 if paid within 14 days.

The M25 will be closed in both directions between Junctions 9 and 10 in Surrey from 9pm on Friday until 6am on Monday while concrete beams for a new bridge and a gantry are lifted into place. Drivers are being advised to avoid the area if possible.

Diversion routes will take cars on a 19-mile journey on A roads, crossing from Surrey into London’s Ulez area.

It comes after London Mayor Sadiq Khan won a historic third term – dashing rumours that he could be ousted by a backlash over ULEZ, crime and Gaza.

Workers rush to finish demolishing a bridge across the M25 in March

Pictured is a deserted section of the M25 in Surrey during a previous closure in March

National Highways warned that anyone ignoring diversion signs in an attempt to find shorter alternative routes will be liable for the £12.50 daily Ulez fee

National Highways senior project manager Jonathan Wade said: ‘Although the [Ulez] cameras will be active, no enforcement action will be taken.

‘However, if you ignore the diversion signs and do your own thing, then if your vehicle’s not compliant you do run the risk of getting caught.

‘You’ll be perfectly safe as long as you follow the diversion routes.’

There are concerns sat navs could direct some drivers on to minor roads after leaving the M25, meaning they could be detected by other Ulez cameras as well as risk creating gridlock in residential areas.

Fears that diversion routes would become overwhelmed during the first planned closure – between Junctions 10 and 11 – in March proved unfounded as traffic levels were more than two-thirds lower than normal after a widespread awareness campaign.

Mr Wade said there is a ‘very real’ risk that the lack of disruption then means some motorists will not heed warnings to replan journeys this weekend.

Fiona and Patrick Potter, residents of West Byfleet, take a selfie on the Parvis Road bridge in Byfleet, that crosses over a closed section of the M25 between Junctions 10 and 11 in March

A group of young boys look in awe at the empty motorway as what appears to be a roadworks van drives towards them when a section of the M25 was closed in March

A roadworks van pootles along the empty M25 last March when a section was closed

READ MORE – Drivers warned to brace for more M25 closure chaos as motorway is shut for a SECOND weekend next month so concrete beams for new bridge can be lifted into place

‘We’ve upped the amount of correspondence that we’ve been sending out to try and counter that but it remains an issue,’ he said.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan expanded Ulez to cover the whole of the capital on August 29 last year.

This weekend will see the second of five planned closures of the M25 – which encircles London – on sections connecting with Junction 10 as part of a £317 million improvement project.

Other stretches of the M25 will also be disrupted this weekend due to ongoing work to retrofit additional emergency stopping areas on smart motorway sections.

Mr Wade explained that the Junction 10 work can be halted at various points throughout the weekend if it runs behind schedule, as ‘we wouldn’t jeopardise opening the M25 on Monday morning’.

A section of the M25 was deserted in March when it was closed for a weekend

Photos show miles of deserted road, still lit up by the amber overhead lights in March

An empty M25 is seen in March after a five-mile stretch was closed for the weekend

Diversion routes for M25 closure in May

Here are the diversion routes for all vehicles apart from those over 15ft (4.6m) between junctions nine and ten of the M25 between 9pm on Friday, May 10 until 6am on Monday, May 13:

CLOCKWISE

• Leave M25 at junction 8, A217 (Reigate)
• Follow the A217 London, Sutton, (A240) Kingston. After 3½ miles turn left onto the A240 Epsom, Kingston
• After 3 miles at the Esso roundabout, turn right onto the A24 (A240) Kingston.
• Continue for 3 miles and turn left onto the A3 Portsmouth, Guildford
• Continue for 9½ miles to the M25 and re-join the motorway at junction 10

ANTICLOCKWISE

• Leave M25 at junction 10 to join the A3 towards London 
• After 9½ miles at the Hook interchange leave the A3 turning right onto the A240 Epsom, Reigate 
• Continue for 3 miles to the Esso roundabout and turn left onto the A240 Reigate
• Continue for 3 miles then turn right onto the A217 Reigate, M25
• After 3½ miles turn left to re-join the M25 motorway at junction 8

RAC spokesperson Alice Simpson said drivers could face ‘up to six days of disrupted travel’ as the M25 closure follows national rail strikes which are expected to spark increased traffic levels.

She went on: ‘While the general advice is to avoid driving if possible, people will still need to make essential journeys for work, to access medical care and to reach Gatwick and Heathrow airports.

‘Planning ahead is absolutely vital. Rather than relying on a sat nav, check the planned diversion routes ahead of time and be prepared for long delays.

‘It’s also a really good idea to check your vehicle’s oil and coolant levels, tyre pressure and tread depth all before setting off to reduce the chances of a very unwelcome breakdown.’

Three more weekend closures of the M25 will take place between August and the end of the year.

The project, due to be completed in summer 2025, will increase the number of lanes and make it easier to enter and exit the M25 at Junction 10, which is one of the UK’s busiest and most dangerous motorway junctions.

In March, the M25 became an unlikely tourist attraction after the motorway closed for the weekend, leaving the road empty of cars.

A five-mile stretch of the motorway between junctions 10 and 11 was closed in both directions.

Sightseers congregated at the main diversion route to pose for selfies with the empty road.

Simon Vassallo has lived in the area for 35 years. He told The Independent that seeing the motorway empty was ‘absolutely astonishing’ and he ‘just had to stop and take in the marvel’.

Another local told the paper ‘it’s quite extraordinary… I don’t think we’ve ever seen anything quite like this’.

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