Two men have been arrested following a police pursuit on the M5 motorway this morning (September 25) near Gloucester. Gloucestershire Police reported that officers from the Roads Policing Unit (RPU) were alerted at approximately 10:20am to a stolen Nissan Qashqai travelling southbound on the M5, accompanied closely by a motorcycle.
The driver of the stolen vehicle, a man in his 20s from Gloucester, was stopped by officers between junctions 9 and 10 and subsequently arrested on suspicion of theft of a motor vehicle. However, the motorcyclist did not comply with police signals to stop, prompting a pursuit.
The chase ended when the motorcyclist was brought to a halt on the southbound carriageway just before junction 11. During the incident, the motorcyclist fell from his bike and was attended to by paramedics at the scene. He was taken to hospital for further evaluation and was later discharged.
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The motorcyclist, also a man in his 20s from Gloucester, was arrested on several charges including failing to stop for police, dangerous driving, driving without a valid licence, driving without insurance, and breaching a community order.
Both individuals currently remain in police custody as investigations continue.
The incident led to temporary closures on the M5, causing delays of up to 30 minutes and tailbacks stretching approximately three miles, according to National Highways. By 1:30pm, all lanes were reopened and traffic flow began to improve.
Initial reports from traffic monitoring services mistakenly described the event as a multi-vehicle collision between Tewkesbury and Cheltenham, but it was later clarified to be related to the police pursuit involving the stolen vehicle and motorbike.