Motorists on the M5 and A38 were stuck in long queues across the Burnham-On-Sea area on Friday evening (August 28th) after police shut the motorway near Bristol.
The northbound side of the Avonmouth Bridge near Portishead was closed to all traffic at around 1pm after a suicidal man was spotted on the crest of the bridge.
Police officers spent six and a half hours on the bridge talking to the man, but he tragically plunged to his death at 7.30pm and his body was recovered by Coastguards.
“Due to concerns for the welfare and safety of this man, police felt they had no choice other than to implement road closures,” a police spokesman told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
Assistant Chief Constable John Long added: “While many motorists were understandably frustrated and angry about the disruption and delays to their journey, the safety of everyone concerned was the paramount priority.”
“We are grateful to those motorists, their families, friends and everyone else who has been affected by this tragic incident, for their patience and co-operation.”
“The usual Friday afternoon traffic, combined with the August Bank Holiday, meant there were huge numbers of vehicles on the road, resulting in considerable congestion.”
Long queues of traffic built up from Portishead back to junction 22 of the M5 at Burnham-On-Sea and beyond. There were also severe delays on the A38 through Highbridge throughout the afternoon and evening.
The dead man has not been formally identified, but is understood to be in his late 50s and from Bristol.
