Horse on the loose closes major motorway

A horse was loose on the highway on Thursday morning, posing a “significant safety risk”.

National Highways has confirmed that the M4 motorway between junction 12 at Theale and junction 13 at Chieveley Junction in Berkshire has been closed in both directions from 10am.

Due to the strange incident, the highway was closed to traffic for about an hour, disrupting the transportation of many motorists.

National Highways traffic officers assisted Thames Valley Police to resolve the incident.

The horse was safely removed from the roads before the highway reopened at 11am.

The photo taken from the scene shows a horse standing behind the road barrier while a worker on the other side guides it to safety.

National Highways East posted on X (Twitter) with the following message: “Animals on the road. Be extra careful. Delays possible.”

They later shared an update saying the horse had been “safely removed from the side of the road” and the M4 had reopened in both directions.

They added: “Long delays remain in the area but will now begin to ease. Thank you for your patience this morning.”