M1 stopped traffic J40–J41 northbound

Stopped traffic on the M1 northbound at J40–J41 on Monday 19 October 2026, from 06:16. Cleared at 09:19 after 3 h 4 min. Timeline of reports from the motorway signs, TomTom and National Highways.

Status

Cleared 09:19 on 19 Oct 2026, after 3 h 4 min

Location

M1 northbound · J40–J41

Reported as

Broken-down vehicle

Lanes

1 of 3 lanes closed

At its worst

Stationary traffic · delay ~26 min

Sources

Motorway signs ×2 · TomTom ×3 · National Highways ×3

Timeline

1. 06:16 Motorway signs: “REPORT OF OBSTRUCTION”
2. 07:09 Motorway signs no longer show “REPORT OF OBSTRUCTION”
3. 07:09 All clear: no source reports it any more
4. 07:28 TomTom: queueing traffic, “Slow traffic”, delay ~3 min
5. 07:33 TomTom: delay now ~8 min (was ~3), “Queuing traffic”
6. 07:46 Motorway signs: “STRANDED VEHICLE”
7. 07:56 TomTom: queueing traffic, “Queuing traffic”, delay ~12 min
8. 08:00 TomTom: “Stationary traffic”
9. 08:09 TomTom: “Queuing traffic”
10. 08:14 National Highways: 1 of 3 lanes closed
11. 08:14 National Highways: 1 of 4 lanes closed
12. 08:18 TomTom: “Stationary traffic”
13. 08:28 TomTom: “Queuing traffic”
14. 08:39 Motorway signs no longer show “STRANDED VEHICLE”
15. 08:46 TomTom: “Slow traffic”
16. 09:00 TomTom: queueing traffic, “Slow traffic”, delay ~3 min
17. 09:09 TomTom no longer reports it
18. 09:19 National Highways: lane closure lifted
19. 09:19 All clear: no source reports it any more

Source reports

• Overhead signs read “REPORT OF OBSTRUCTION” (6 signs; furthest along: M1 northbound between J40 and J41).
• Queuing traffic
• Slow traffic
• Overhead signs read “STRANDED VEHICLE” (1 sign; furthest along: M1 northbound between J40 and J41).
• M1 J41 northbound exit
• M1 northbound between J40 and J41

Other recent incidents on the M1

• M1 crash J28–J29 northbound09:28 · Live
• M1 crash J27–J28 northbound09:09 · Live
• M1 crash J17–J16 southbound08:33 · Live
• M1 reported crash J47–J46 southbound07:47 · cleared after 52 min
• M1 reported crash J26–J25 southbound07:01 · cleared after 37 min
• M1 stopped traffic J21A–J21 southbound06:43 · Live
• M1 stopped traffic J13–J12 southbound06:17 · cleared after 1 h 52 min
• M1 delays J11A–J12 northbound06:03 · Live
• M1 crash J34 southbound04:49 · cleared after 1 h 50 min
• M1 crash J10–J9 southboundyesterday 19:35 · cleared after 4 h 48 min

The sources don't report causes or injuries, so neither does this page. Times are UK time. For alerts, follow @motorways.me on Bluesky.