A TWO-VEHICLE CRASH on a key junction of the M4 resulted in almost a full day's worth of traffic delays on Friday. 

Just after 10.30am on Friday, Traffic Wales South reported one lane of three was blocked between junctions 25A and 25 due to a crash. 

Delays quickly began growing, with congestion reaching all the way back to junction 29 for Castleton on the eastbound carriageway, as the crash was moved onto the hard shoulder near junction 26 for Malpas.

It was by this time, at around 11.15am, that both lanes were reopened, but heavy congestion remained and increased throughout the day. 

Gwent Police confirmed that the crash involved two vehicles and that only minor injuries were sustained in a statement to the Argus just before 11.30am.

They said: "Officers attended a report of two-vehicle road traffic collision on the M4, junction 25A towards junction 25 on Friday 5 July.

"Minor injuries were reported."

By just before 12.30pm, delays had increased to 15 minutes and were between junction 30 for Pentwyn Link Road and St Julians eastbound. 

Within three hours, the congestion had increased even further, with delays at almost half and hour in both the east and westbound directions. 

It was considered that some of the congestion could be related to Shania Twain's performance at Chepstow Racecourse as part of the Chepstow Summer Sessions on Friday evening, with delays having reached 31 minutes heading east, and 16 minutes heading west, by 5.30pm. 

The congestion finally began to ease just after 7pm, with 11 minutes of delays reported between J30 for Pentwyn Link Road and Cardiff Gate and J26 Malpas Road. 

There were just six minutes of delay on the westbound carriageway between junction 24 Coldra and junction 26 Malpas by this time. 

By 7.50pm, all congestion between junction 30 and junction 26 had eased, with the minor congestion between junction 24 and junction 26 eventually clearing by 8.40pm.