Mum warns drivers after baby overheated in M5 traffic jam

A mother says she would think twice before travelling on a hot day after her baby overheated while they were stuck in heavy traffic on the M5.

Siobhan, from near Tiverton, Devon, was taking her nine-month-old daughter, Adora, to a swimming lesson in Taunton, Somerset, on 17 July when traffic ground to a halt following an incident on the motorway.

“I started to panic because she was getting overheated and she was going bright red in the face,” she said.

With more summer getaway traffic expected on the M5 this weekend, road safety experts are urging drivers to plan ahead and know what to do if they become stranded in queues.

Siobhan said she had checked the route using a navigation app before setting off, and the motorway was showing as clear.

But, two miles before reaching the junction for Taunton, the traffic began slowing down and it took her ten minutes to drive one mile.

As her car began overheating, she had to switch the engine off.

The M5 was closed between junction 23 for Dunball and junction 24 for Bridgwater due to a police-led incident.

With the windows down, she said the vehicle became “just hotter and hotter”.

There was no shade on the hard shoulder, so Siobhan used it to drive the final mile to junction 25 where she was able to cool Adora down.