M40 Crash Today: Motorway Shut Near M25 as Lorraine Kelly Misses ITV Show

The M40 was closed southbound near the M25 on Monday morning, 9 November 2026, after a police-led incident, bringing rush-hour traffic to a standstill and leaving television presenter Lorraine Kelly stuck in her car for 90 minutes. Kelly missed her own ITV show as a result, with Christine Lampard stepping in to host at the last minute.

National Highways warned drivers that the M40 was closed southbound between Junction 1a, for the M25, and Junction 1, Denham, with tailbacks of around four miles. The closure was first reported at about 8.10am, and drivers caught inside it were released from the rear of the queue while the road stayed shut.

M40 crash today — quick reference

Ninety minutes in a stationary car: how the morning unfolded

Kelly, 66, was travelling from her home in Bourne End, Buckinghamshire, to Television Centre in west London when her chauffeured car was caught in the closure. She posted a video from the back seat on Instagram shortly before she was due on air, telling followers she had been stuck for about an hour and a half.

“Sadly an accident on the M40 shut the motorway and I was stuck for an hour and a half,” she said. “All OK now and hopefully no injuries — but live TV means you can’t be late. See you tomorrow — so sorry!”

She added that she had long worried about being unable to get to work, and that on Monday morning the fear had come true. By late morning, live traffic feeds listed no incident closure remaining in force on the M40.

What police and National Highways said about the closure

The BBC reported the incident as a crash near Gerrards Cross, while National Highways described it as a police-led incident. At the time of writing, police had not confirmed the nature of the incident, whether anyone had been injured, or whether any arrests had been made.

The M40 is the main route between London, Oxford and Birmingham, and the closure sat at its London end, where it meets the M25 at Junction 1a. That position explains why the queues built so quickly and why the delays stretched to an hour and a half for drivers heading into the capital. Commuters heading into London bore the worst of it, while the Tube network faced its own disruption: eight 24-hour Tube walkouts announced by the RMT run from 26 November 2026 to 25 February 2027.

Christine Lampard steps in as Lorraine phones in from the M40

Lampard opened Monday’s episode by telling viewers: “I am not Lorraine! She isn’t here today and that is because she has been stuck in a road closure all morning.” She then spoke to Kelly by phone, live on air.

Kelly told her she had been sitting in the car for an hour and a half. “The only good thing about all of this is thank goodness nobody was seriously hurt,” she said. “As far as we know it was an accident or a road closure, but we don’t think anybody is injured, which is great news.”

Kelly has hosted her eponymous programme since 2010, and the show is a fixture of ITV’s weekday daytime schedule. Lampard, a Loose Women panellist, was able to take the helm at short notice, and the programme went ahead without its usual presenter.

A second disrupted week for ITV daytime

The missed show came days after Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women were all taken off air because of a power cut at ITV’s Covent Garden studio. Last Wednesday, 4 November 2026, the three programmes could not be broadcast live.

ITV said in a statement: “Following a power cut overnight in the wider area where our Covent Garden studio is based, we are unable to broadcast Lorraine, This Morning and Loose Women live today. We will return to our normal schedule as soon as possible.” Monday’s disruption was different in kind — a road closure rather than a studio fault — but it left the same gap in the schedule.

What drivers faced — and what to check before travelling

The morning’s closure was a reminder of how quickly a single incident at the M25 interchange can paralyse the route into London. Drivers were warned to expect delays of around 90 minutes at the height of the disruption, with congestion stretching for miles on the approach to the closure.

Anyone travelling on the M40 should check National Highways before setting off, particularly during the morning peak. The PA report on Kelly’s missed show confirms the presenter was unharmed and expects to return to screens on Tuesday, while London Streets’ report on the closure records the police-led incident at Junction 1a.

Frequently asked questions

Why was the M40 closed today?

The M40 was closed southbound between Junction 1a (M25) and Junction 1 (Denham) on Monday 9 November 2026 after a police-led incident first reported at about 8.10am. The precise nature of the incident had not been confirmed by police.

Was anyone hurt in the M40 crash?

No injuries have been confirmed. Lorraine Kelly said on air that, as far as she knew, nobody was seriously hurt, but police had not issued a formal statement on injuries at the time of writing.

Why did Lorraine Kelly miss her ITV show?

Kelly was stuck in traffic on the M40 for about an hour and a half while travelling from Bourne End to Television Centre in west London. The closure meant she could not reach the studio in time for her 9.30am show.

Who presented Lorraine instead?

Christine Lampard stepped in to host the programme at the last minute. She opened the show by explaining that Kelly was stuck in a road closure, and later spoke to her by phone.

Is the M40 open now?

By late morning on Monday, live traffic feeds listed no incident closure remaining in force on the M40. Drivers should still check National Highways for the latest position before travelling, as conditions can change.