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M25 at 40: Keeping UK's busiest motorway moving

Piers HopkirkSouth East
BBC Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, wearing a tanned coloured smart suit, is holding a pair of scissors at the opening ceremony of the M25 in 1986. There are a crowd of people, including highway contractors and government officials, standing behind her. BBC
Margaret Thatcher said Britons ought to be congratulating the "magnificent achievement" of the M25

Sometimes referred to as "The Road to Hell" or "Europe's largest car park", the M25 remains an essential part of Britain's transport network.

Since it officially opened on 29 October 1986, many workers over the years have contributed to the establishment and maintenance of the UK's busiest motorway.

Chris Nutton, traffic officer for National Highways, said: "We have days when it runs very smoothly and we have days when all hell can break loose."

His colleague Esther Martin added that aside from dealing with daily incidents like vehicle breakdowns, they have encountered some unexpected ones like bolting horses.

Nutton recalled a driver discarding a lit cigarette from a car window and unwittingly setting ablaze the lorry load of hay bales behind them.

He added there were instances of drivers falling asleep while stuck in traffic jams and an extraordinary array of items strewn across the tarmac.

Piers Hopkirk/BBC Esther Martin and Chris Nutton, both wearing an orange and yellow hi-vis jackets, are standing in front of a National Highway yellow vehicle. There is also a marked highways vehicle parked next to them.Piers Hopkirk/BBC
National Highway officers Chris Nutton and Esther Martin reflect on their experience working on the London Orbital

"During the festive period we have previously come across presents that have fallen out of car roof boxes and spread across the carriageway," Martin added.

"Sometimes we have been able to reunite them with owners, but sometimes they've ended up under lorry wheels."

Martin said on other occasions, items including wheelbarrows, bicycles, canoes and even a longbow were found.

Former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher cut the ribbon to mark the completion of the M25 on 29 October 1986, hailing it as a "magnificent achievement".

The 117-mile motorway, which runs through Kent, Surrey, Greater London, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire and Essex, quickly attracted huge numbers of motorists.

This has led to chronic congestion despite decades of efforts to keep traffic moving, including widening lanes, upgrading junctions and introducing "smart motorways".

Piers Hopkirk/BBC Tony Ferris, who has grey hair and is wearing a pair of black glasses and black coat, is standing on an embankment. In the background cars are driving along the M25. Piers Hopkirk/BBC
Tony Ferris, who worked on the M25 in 1980, said he remained pleased with what the team achieved

Retired civil engineer Tony Ferris was one of the original team helping to create the M25.

He said he was proud of what they had achieved.

"It was a momentous piece of work over many years. I started working on it in 1980."

When asked if he believed the motorway deserved the criticism it sometimes received, he replied "I don't think so".

"When it runs smoothly and nicely it's great. It's almost a victim of its own success - everybody wants to use it," he said.

Piers Hopkirk/BBC Simon Wilkinson, who has greying hair, is wearing an orange and grey hi vis jacket. He is standing near a crossing near a motorway. Piers Hopkirk/BBC
Simon Wilkinson said the M25 is a vital part of Britain's transport links

Since 2009, a consortium called Connect Plus has been managing the M25 after winning a 30-year £6.2bn contract.

Simon Wilkinson, commercial manager, said: "It's understandable it gets a bad rap sometimes.

"However it is because so many people want to use the M25 and we'd miss if it wasn't there."

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