Drivers using the M25 this morning will find the clockwise carriageway between Junction 3 (Swanley) and Junction 4 (Orpington) running normally again, after overnight emergency barrier repairs wrapped up on schedule at 05:30. Lanes one and two had been coned off from 22:30 on Sunday, leaving just the offside lane open through the Kent stretch of London's orbital — a short-notice closure that caught out a fair few late-night travellers heading back into south-east London from the M20.
The works, signed off by National Highways, were not the only ones overnight: the Dartford Crossing northbound was fully shut between 22:30 and 05:30 for separate roadworks, with traffic diverted through the QEII Bridge tunnel system. The WP Times reports that the M25 between J3 and J4 has reopened in full, the Dartford Crossing northbound is back to normal, and a further week of overnight lane closures is now scheduled across the orbital from 5 May to 9 May — the dates, junctions, and London-bound diversions every commuter needs are below.
What was closed on the M25 overnight
The headline closure ran on the M25 clockwise between J3 (M20 Swanley Interchange) and J4 (A21 Orpington), where Kent Police and National Highways teams completed emergency barrier repairs. Two of the three running lanes were shut between 22:30 on Sunday 3 May and 05:30 on Monday 4 May. Drivers were funnelled into lane three, with average speeds dropping to around 30 mph during the working window. Traffic cleared by 06:00 and there are no residual delays reported on the southern M25 this morning.
Separately, the A282 northbound — the Dartford Crossing approach between J1A and J31 — was fully closed overnight for roadworks. All northbound traffic crossing into Essex was diverted via the QEII Bridge tunnel route, with HGVs sent through Dartford Tunnel. Both crossings reopened by 05:30. A third closure ran on the M25 anticlockwise within J3, after the A20 roundabout access. Lane one was shut between 23:00 and 05:00. No delays were reported.
Why these closures were happening
National Highways describes the J3–J4 work as emergency barrier repairs — the safety barrier between the carriageway and the central reservation needed urgent attention after wear and impact damage. This is standard maintenance scheduling: any work that risks lane-three encroachment is pushed into the 22:00–05:30 window to keep weekday commuter flow uninterrupted. The Kent stretch of the M25 has seen a noticeable uptick in barrier-repair work in 2026, partly owing to a wet winter and partly because this section sees some of the heaviest HGV traffic on the orbital, especially near the M20 link.
The Dartford Crossing closure was a separate, planned job tied to the wider A282 maintenance programme. It is the seventh consecutive Sunday-into-Monday overnight closure at this location since March, and more are scheduled.
M25 closures this week — 5 May to 9 May 2026
This is the week to check before you set off. Six overnight closures are confirmed across the orbital between Tuesday 5 May and Saturday 9 May. The pattern is the same every night: lanes shut from around 22:00, fully reopened by 05:30 or 06:00.
Tuesday 5 May to Friday 8 May, 22:00–05:30 each night:
- M25 anticlockwise between J11 (Chertsey) and J10 (Wisley) — two of four lanes closed for roadworks
- M25 clockwise entry slip at J13 (Staines) — one lane closed
- M25 anticlockwise exit slip at J4 — all lanes closed
Friday 8 May to Saturday 9 May, 23:00–06:00:
- M25 clockwise between J28 (Brentwood) and J27 (M11) — three of four lanes closed
- M25 anticlockwise near J5 (Sevenoaks) — full overnight closure for urgent barrier repairs
- M25 clockwise within J28 — two of three lanes closed for barrier maintenance
Saturday 9 May to Sunday 10 May, 22:00–06:00:
- M26 westbound between J3 and J2A — full closure for barrier repairs
- A282 northbound (Dartford Crossing) — full closure between J1A and J31
The J5 Sevenoaks closure on the night of 8 May is the one to watch. National Highways has flagged potential delays exceeding three hours if anyone gets caught between the diversion exits.
London-bound diversions: what to use instead
For most overnight M25 closures, National Highways signs the diversions on yellow boards from the previous junction. The standard alternatives this week:
Heading clockwise from Kent into south London (J3–J4 area): Take the A20 west from J3, then the A21 north at Pratt's Bottom to rejoin the M25 at J4. Adds roughly 12 minutes outside peak.
Heading anticlockwise on the J10–J11 stretch (Surrey): Exit at J11 onto the A317, follow the A320 south through Woking, rejoin at J10 via the A3. National Highways estimates 15–20 minutes added.
Heading northbound through Dartford: HGVs over 4 metres are pushed through the eastern Dartford Tunnel; cars use the QEII Bridge as standard. When both are shut, the only realistic alternatives are the Blackwall Tunnel (south London) or the M11–A14–A1 route via Cambridge — neither is quick.
For the J28 closure on Friday night: Take the A12 east from J28, exit at the Brook Street roundabout, and rejoin via the A1023. This is the official signed diversion.
How long will the works last
The barrier repairs at J3–J4 were a one-night job and are now complete. The wider M25 maintenance programme runs through May and into early June, with a heavier concentration of works on the eastern and southern stretches. National Highways publishes its rolling closure list daily and updates short-notice changes on its Traffic England live feed.
The longer-running scheme to watch is the M25 J10 (Wisley) major upgrade, which has been ongoing since 2023 and will continue to generate weekend slip-road closures into the third quarter of 2026. The new Painshill roundabout layout means drivers coming off the A3 northbound towards London face restricted left-turn-only movements during overnight closures — worth knowing if you regularly use that route.
What this means for London commuters
Monday morning's M25 is running cleanly. The standard pinch points — clockwise from J7 (Reigate) into J9 (Leatherhead), and anticlockwise into the Dartford Crossing approach — will load up from around 07:00 as usual. The Sevenoaks barrier work later in the week is the only closure likely to spill into morning peak if it overruns, so commuters using J5 should keep Friday night and Saturday morning under review.
Three rules of thumb for the week:
First, anything signed as "emergency barrier repairs" tends to clear on time. National Highways prioritises lifting these closures by 05:30 so the morning peak is unaffected. Second, anything labelled "roadworks" with all lanes shut — particularly on the Dartford Crossing — has a higher chance of overrun. Build in an extra 30 minutes if you have a flight, ferry, or appointment in Essex or Kent before 08:00. Third, the QEII Bridge is the limiting factor for almost every Dartford diversion. If the bridge itself is shut for high winds, the whole northbound route collapses and there is no quick alternative.
For real-time information, the National Highways Traffic England live feed updates every 15 minutes. The TfL traffic page covers the inner London road network only and will not show M25 incidents.
Frequently asked questions
Is the M25 open today, 4 May 2026? Yes. The M25 is fully open in both directions this morning. Overnight barrier repairs between J3 and J4 cleared by 05:30 and there are no residual delays.
When is the next M25 night closure? The next overnight works run from 22:00 on Tuesday 5 May, with two of four lanes shut on the M25 anticlockwise between J11 and J10. Closures are scheduled every night through to Friday 8 May.
What is the diversion if the Dartford Crossing is closed? Cars use the QEII Bridge or eastern Dartford Tunnel as standard. If both are shut, the official diversion runs via the Blackwall Tunnel through south London — expect significant delays during peak hours.
Why does the M25 keep closing at night? Most closures are scheduled maintenance — barrier repairs, road resurfacing, drainage and litter clearance. National Highways pushes this work into the 22:00–05:30 window to avoid daytime disruption. Emergency closures, by contrast, follow accidents or barrier strikes and can happen at any hour.
How do I check live M25 traffic updates? National Highways runs the official Traffic England live feed, which updates every 15 minutes. AA and RAC route planners pull the same data. For longer journey planning, the rolling daily closure report at nationalhighways.co.uk lists every confirmed scheme up to 14 days ahead.
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