M1 traffic: Major delays on motorway southbound near Leicester after infrastructure defect forces lane closures
20th Jun 2025, 1:31pm
Drivers on the M1 southbound near Leicester are facing major delays of up to 2 hours following an ‘infrastructure defect’ that has forced the closure of three out of four lanes.
The National Highways said the affected closures were between Junction 21A and Junction 21, with only lane 1 currently open to traffic. Lanes 2, 3, and 4 had been closed to allow for safety inspections and emergency repairs.
National Highways confirmed the disruption on X (formerly Twitter), stating: “If you're heading #M1 southbound please be aware there are delays in excess of 90 minutes due to lane closures between J21A and J21 #Leicester. Lanes 2, 3 and 4 are closed following an infrastructure defect. Approx. 6 miles of slow moving traffic with congestion back to J22.”
In an update, the traffic service said all the lanes have reopened following the completion of the emergency repairs but there are severe delays of up to two hours.