The M25 motorway in Surrey has reopened after its first planned daytime closure.

A five-mile stretch of road between junctions 10 and 11 was closed in both directions at 9pm on Friday and was due to open around 6am on Monday.

However, it reopened just after 10pm on Sunday after a bridge was demolished and a giant gantry was installed.

South East National Highways said on the X: “We would like to say a huge thank you to everyone for their patience and following our travel advice.”

The lockdown has sparked fears thousands of drivers will be stuck in traffic jams at the weekend.

Traffic along the new route through the towns of Byfleet, West Byfleet, Woking and Ottershaw was not as bad as feared, although there was some congestion, which stretched for two miles at one point Oops.

Amanda Boote of Woking Borough Council told the PA news agency: “It’s actually been a lot better than we expected and it’s not as deadlocked as we thought it would be.”

This is the first time the M25 motorway around London is scheduled to be closed during the day since it opened in 1986.

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Typically, the M25 carries 4,000 to 6,000 vehicles per hour in both directions between junctions 9 and 11 at weekends from 10am to 9pm.

The M25 will also be closed four times during the day until September.

The project, due to be completed by summer 2025, will increase the number of lanes at Junction 10, one of the busiest and most dangerous motorway junctions in the UK.