Major link road to motorway used by 90k daily ‘closed until further notice’ as floods force drivers onto long diversion

A MAJOR motorway link road has been closed "until further notice" due to flooding, forcing drivers onto a lengthy diversion.

The busy route is currently submerged under around 8ft of water, rendering it completely impassable.

Motorists in the area are being warned of long delays as traffic bound for one of the UK's most used motorways is squeezed onto smaller roads.

Britain has been battered by around a month's-worth of rain in the last week alone, with as many as 17 active weather warnings at one time.

There have been varying degrees of flooding across much of the country, as well as a "mini tornado" spotted in Luton.

And a fresh Met Office yellow warning for a large section of the East Coast has left many fearing more to come, with entire towns potentially "cut off".

Just yesterday we reported that a major A-road in Wiltshire had been shut down thanks to flooding and now another, even more important route has been hit.

National Highways has confirmed that the A421 in Bedfordshire has been left unusable after a spell of "torrential rain".

The road acts as an important link to the A6 in Bedford, connecting the area with the M1, which carries around 140,000 vehicles a day.

Around 90,000 use the A421 daily, with a large number carrying on to the motorway itself.

Water levels of over 8ft were recorded on the road over the weekend and the road remains closed today.

National Highways workers are currently trying to pump the water off the road, but there is no word on how long this will take.

Officials will also have to recover three vehicles that were left abandoned in the floodwater before the closure can be lifted.

Two diversion routes have been announced as follows:

Northbound traffic

• From the M1 J13 take Bedford Road northbound towards Ampthill/Ridgmont.
• Travel northbound on Bedford Road for approximately 7 miles, continuing as it transitions into Woburn Road and passing through Brogborough and Marston Moretaine, to the Marsh Leys junction roundabout with the A6/A421.
• From here you can re-join the A421 to continue your journey.

Southbound traffic

• Exit the A421 southboud at the Marsh Leys junction with the A6 for Northampton
• At the roundabout take the 2nd exit onto Woburn road southbound towards Wootton
• Continue southbound on Woburn Road for approximately 7 miles, continuing as it transitions into Bedford Road and passing through Marston Moretaine and Brogborough to reach J13 of the M1.
• From here road users can continue their journey

Unfortunately, due to the unexpected nature of the shutdown, these alternative routes are "not symbol led", leaving drivers to navigate around the blockage themselves.

A National Highways spokesperson said: "Following spells of torrential rain flooding occurred at Marston Moretaine on the evening of Sunday 22 September with water levels of up to eight feet recorded.

"This has severely impacted efforts to clear floodwater from the carriageway.

"National Highways service providers continue to work at scene and at present a number of articulated tankers and pumping equipment are in use as efforts to clear the road continue.

"At this time it is expected the the A421 will remain closed today; at this stage we cannot provide a timeline for the road to reopen.

"Three vehicles that have been abandoned in the flooded section will also need to be recovered before the carriageway can be fully re-opened."