British Bank Holiday getaway descends into chaos with motorway shooting

13 April 2012

The Bank Holiday getaway descended into chaos for thousands of travellers yesterday after a gunman fired shots at a police car on a major motorway route.

Motorists were stuck in tailbacks on the M5 for most of the day, with further misery caused by an overturned lorry on the popular stretch to Devon and Cornwall.

Ten mile queues built up on several adjoining roads as frustrated holidaymakers attempted to find alternative routes.

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Traffic queues southbound on the M5 motorway as people head to the west country early for the bank holiday weekend

Despite an estimated 18 million vehicles taking to the road this weekend, motorists in other parts of the country also found themselves plagued by roadworks.

A spokesman for the Highways Agency said: "This is one of the busiest weekends of the year, if not the busiest, so it was hardly ideal to have these closures on the M5 on the last Bank Holiday of the summer."

The chaos began at 4.10am when police stopped to check a blue 3-series BMW parked in a layby outside a garden centre near junction 12 of the M5.

But the L-reg car, which was carrying at least two people, sped away suddenly and two shots were fired from it in the direction of the police car.

Neither of the shots hit the car but the motorway was shut in both directions for several hours so forensic officers could examine the scene for clues, such as bullet casings. The BMW made a successful getaway.

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Holidaymakers enjoy the start of the bank holiday weekend weather at Woolacombe in Devon

The northbound carriageway was reopened yesterday morning but the southbound carriageway - used by those heading to the South West - remained closed until the early afternoon.

One of the thousands of drivers stuck in the confusion was Louise Armstrong, 31, who was on her way to work in Bristol when she found herself at a standstill just after 6.30am.

"Everyone was looking confused and then when it came on the radio we all started looking at each other and nodding," she said.

"We'd just heard about the shooting in Liverpool and when this come on air it was like 'Oh my God, what's happened now?' - it's quite worrying.

"People were getting out of their cars for a chat and cigarette and some were walking their dogs along the hard shoulder because the motorway was at a standstill.

"Police and motorbikes are going past on the hard shoulder but apart from that no-one was going anywhere - not a good start to the Bank Holiday weekend."

Night security guard Dave Smithson, 37, from Dursley, Gloucestershire, set off to drive down the M5 after finishing work in Cheltenham, only to come to a halt after a few hundred yards.

"I was stationary for two hours before the traffic finally began to move," he said. "Even after almost four hours we were only moving slowly.

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Music fans trudged through the mud at the Reading Festival yesterday but the promised sunshine will keep the campers happy

Despite the frustration, there remained some good news for those trying to get away - the weather.

Temperatures promise to be as high as 26C (79f) over the weekend with warm and sunny conditions replacing the rain and wind to have hit some parts of Britain in recent days.

"It's going to be a lot better than it has been, particularly for those in southern England," said Matt Bell of weather forecaster MeteoGroup.

"Although it will get cooler over the weekend, it should stay fine in England and Wales right through to Monday."

The organisation VisitBritain said 19 per cent of people in Britain had planned an overnight trip within the country in the last two weeks of August.

Spokesman Mike Bedingfield said: "It's great news that nearly one in five of us are planning to take a break here in our own country. It will give a much-needed boost to parts of the tourism industry after a challenging start to the summer."

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What a difference a week makes: The scene at Dawlish in Devon has improved massively since last week when the strong winds brought waves crashing over the railway

Speaking about the M5 shooting, a spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said: "A lot of inquiries are being carried out to trace that vehicle and we would appeal to anyone who knows who is responsible and where they and the vehicle are now, to get in touch with us."

As well as the shooting, M5 was hit by three accidents yesterday.

At 9.30am, a lorry overturned at junction 25 near Taunton, Somerset, while a car travelling in the opposite direction crashed just 300ft away. The stretch was reopened at 1.30pm.

And at 1.20pm, a driver lost control of his vehicle at junction 17 near Bristol, careering through the central reservation. The clean-up operation closed two lanes southbound and one heading north.

Speaking about the earlier shooting, a spokesman for Gloucestershire Police said: "This was a despicable act which affected the weekend for hundreds of thousands of holidaymakers and families.

"Obviously, it could have been much more serious but this is a reflection of the times that firearms are becoming more prevalent in society.

"The use of guns is becoming sadly more commonplace.

"It wasn't just the officers involved who were affected but all those people trying to get away for the last bank holiday of the summer, as well as ordinary commuters and businesses. This is the biggest day of the year for the M5."

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