No full M5 closures at Worcester's two junctions in the week to 13 August. The live maps to check, who fixes which road, and the routes that carry the city.

National Highways’ closure report for the week of 7 to 13 August 2026 lists no full carriageway closures on the M5 between junctions 5 and 8, which covers both of Worcester’s motorway junctions. The nearest work is a maintenance scheme on the M5 between junctions 7 and 9, under which the northbound junction 9 entry slip road is shut overnight on Wednesday 12 August, 21:00 to 06:00.

Further out, the M50 is closed westbound between junctions 2 and 4 overnight every night this week, 20:00 to 06:00, plus a closure at junction 2 between the slip roads. That matters if you are heading for Ross-on-Wye or South Wales after dark.

Roadworks change weekly. The first section here is how to find out what is shut right now. Everything after it is the part that does not change: who is responsible for which road, what carries the city, and the ways of getting about that do not involve driving.

How to check what is shut today

  • one.network for Worcestershire is the map Worcestershire County Council itself points residents to. It runs on Department for Transport permit data, so it shows every permitted set of works, who is doing it and the dates. You can register for email alerts on a zone you choose.
  • National Highways road closure report covers full closures on the M5, M50, M42 and A46, seven days ahead. Filter by road number. This is the one to check before a night drive.
  • Report a pothole to Worcestershire County Council if the problem is the road surface. The Highways and Transport Control Centre is on 01905 845676, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

One caveat the council flags: the county’s own map does not show temporary traffic lights. Those are the responsibility of whoever is doing the work, whether that is Severn Trent Water, Cadent Gas or the council’s own contractor, and the number to ring is on the board at the site.

Who is responsible for which road

This catches people out constantly, so it is worth stating plainly.

Who runs what on Worcester's roads
OrganisationResponsible for
National HighwaysThe M5, M50, M42 and A46
Worcestershire County CouncilEvery other road, pavement, street light and bridge in the city
Worcester City CouncilCar parks, and planning decisions on new development

So the council with “Worcester” in its name does not fix the roads. The county council does, across a network of 4,101 km (2,548 miles) of highway, including 575 km of A roads, 55,068 street lighting columns and 1,462 structures such as bridges and retaining walls. Its maintenance contractor on the ground is Ringway Worcestershire.

That split survives until 1 April 2028, when Worcester City Council merges with Malvern Hills and Wychavon into a single South Worcestershire unitary authority, which will take on the county council’s highway role inside the new boundary.

What the county actually repairs

Worcestershire filled an estimated 16,022 potholes in 2024/25, up from 15,557 the year before and the highest of the last five years. Its published plan for 2025/26 is to fix around 30,000 defects, of which roughly 16,000 are potholes, surface dress 200 km of carriageway, resurface 80 km and reconstruct 70 km of footway.

Where it can, the council cuts out and patches rather than filling: it says over 75% of identified potholes are repaired to that standard rather than being given a temporary fix. Capital spending on highway maintenance was projected at £52.6m for 2025/26 against a Department for Transport allocation of £29.6m, with the balance funded locally.

The routes that carry Worcester

The strategic roads around Worcester A simplified diagram of Worcester’s road connections. The city sits in the middle with the River Severn running through it north to south. To the north east the A449 and A4538 run to M5 junction 6, Worcester North, and on to Droitwich and Birmingham. To the south east the A44 and A4440 Southern Link Road run to M5 junction 7, Worcester South, and on to Evesham. To the south the A38 runs to Tewkesbury and the M50. To the west the A44 runs to Bromyard and the A4103 to Hereford. To the south west the A449 runs to Malvern and Ledbury. Two M5 junctions, one river, and everything crosses in the middle Simplified diagram, not to scale River Severn Worcester city centre M5 J6, Worcester North via the A449 and A4538 M5 J7, Worcester South via the A44 and A4440 Bromyard, Leominster via the A44 Malvern and Hereford via the A449 and A4103 Tewkesbury and the M50 via the A38 The A4440 Southern Link Road is the ring route between J7 and the west bank; the Severn crossings are the pinch points.

Worcester is unusual among cities its size in having two motorway junctions of its own. Junction 6 is signed Worcester North and feeds the A449 and A4538; junction 7 is Worcester South and feeds the A44 and the A4440 Southern Link Road. Between them they mean most of the city is within about ten minutes of the M5, which is a large part of why the Shrub Hill and Worcestershire Parkway area has been a focus for development.

The constraint is the river. The Severn runs north to south through the middle of the city, and everything crossing between the centre and St John’s or the racecourse side has to use one of a small number of bridges. Worcester Bridge in the centre carries the A44, and the A4440 crosses at Carrington Bridge to the south. When one is disrupted, the other absorbs it, which is why a set of works on either shows up as delay across the whole city.

Travelling without the car

  • Under-16s travel free on the bus across Worcestershire from 1 to 31 August 2026, funded by the Department for Transport’s Great British Summer Savings programme. It covers Diamond Bus, First Bus, Kevs Cars and Coaches, LMS Travel, Landflight, Stagecoach and Worcestershire on Demand. Children under five travel free with most operators anyway.
  • Worcestershire on Demand is the county’s app-booked minibus service, and it is included in the free travel offer.
  • The train is the fastest way to Birmingham, at 42 to 45 minutes from Foregate Street, and to London at about two hours. Foregate Street has no car park at all, so driving to the train means Shrub Hill (93 spaces) or Worcestershire Parkway (483). Our Worcester trains to London page has the times and the season ticket prices.

There is no permanent park and ride in Worcester. The service the county council publicises runs from County Hall for the Victorian Christmas Fayre weekend, operated commercially by First Worcester, rather than year-round.

Longer-running closures nearby

The county council currently has a published diversion in place for the A449 closure between Malvern and Ledbury, routed via the A438, B4208 and A4104. It is outside the city but it is the road many Worcester drivers use for the Malverns and the M50, so it is worth knowing before you set off.

Frequently asked questions

Where can I see live roadworks in Worcester?

On one.network’s Worcestershire map, which the county council uses as its own public map. For motorway closures, use the National Highways closure report.

Who do I report a pothole to in Worcester?

Worcestershire County Council, not the city council. Use its report a pothole form or ring the Highways and Transport Control Centre on 01905 845676.

Is the M5 closed near Worcester this week?

No. National Highways’ report for 7 to 13 August 2026 shows no full closures between junctions 5 and 8. The nearest work is the M5 junction 7 to junction 9 maintenance scheme, which shuts the northbound junction 9 entry slip overnight on Wednesday 12 August.

Which M5 junction is Worcester?

Both junction 6 and junction 7. Junction 6 is signed Worcester North, for the A449 and A4538; junction 7 is Worcester South, for the A44 and the A4440 Southern Link Road.

Does Worcester have a park and ride?

Not permanently. The county council’s publicised park and ride runs from County Hall for the Victorian Christmas Fayre weekend and is operated commercially by First Worcester.

How many potholes does Worcestershire fill?

An estimated 16,022 in 2024/25, and the council’s plan for 2025/26 is roughly 16,000 potholes within about 30,000 defects in total.

Sources

Roadworks information was checked on 10 August 2026 and changes constantly. Always check the live maps before you travel.