What happened
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
RoadM1
SeveritySevere
StatusCleared
DirectionSouthbound
Started20:39, 11 Jul 2026
Cleared03:35, 12 Jul 2026
Incident timeline
First report
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
Update
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
Update
⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 2h 10m. Monitoring continues.
Update
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
Update
⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 2h 45m. Monitoring continues.
Update
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
Update
⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 3h 20m. Monitoring continues.
Update
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
Update
⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 3h 55m. Monitoring continues.
Update
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
Update
⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 4h 30m. Monitoring continues.
Update
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
Update
⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 5h 5m. Monitoring continues.
Update
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
Update
⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 5h 40m. Monitoring continues.
Update
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
Update
⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 6h 15m. Monitoring continues.
Update
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
Update
⏱ Still active — no changes from National Highways. Incident ongoing for 6h 50m. Monitoring continues.
Update
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
Update
✅ Incident cleared — M1 reopened at 03:35 on 12 Jul 2026. Total disruption: 6h 55m. All lanes open, traffic returning to normal.
Final update
The M1 in Hertfordshire is closed southbound between J5 (Watford) and J1 (Brent Cross) for emergency resurfacing works.
Wording from National Highways, recorded as it changed.
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