A blowout at speed on the M25 is about control first. Hold the car straight, reach a safe spot or get behind the barrier, and let recovery move the car before any replacement happens.
Bursts on the orbital come from long spells of sustained speed, where an under-inflated or ageing tyre overheats: the Kent section towards Clacket Lane, the run past Reigate at J8, the approaches to the QEII Bridge. A bang is followed by a heavy pull to one side. Grip the wheel, resist braking hard and let the car shed speed by itself. On the all-lane-running sections from J5 to J7 and J23 to J27, an emergency area is the target while you still have control.
Nobody from our team comes to a car stopped in a live lane or on the hard shoulder. Dial 999 when traffic is a threat, otherwise National Highways on 0300 123 5000, and ask recovery to take you to Thurrock, Clacket Lane or a junction car park. Once there, a replacement in the same size goes on, the wheel rim gets examined for cracks, and the partner tyre on that axle, which took the extra load, is inspected. The figure is agreed by phone.
Need something else? Our pages on emergency mobile tyre fitting and new tyres fitted on the M25 explain those jobs.
The new tyre goes on at Clacket Lane on either carriageway, Thurrock services, or a recovery drop-off such as a Godstone car park off J6, with the site's permission. Never on the Dartford approaches, the QEII Bridge or any part of the motorway itself.
| Road | M25 London Orbital |
|---|---|
| Operator | National Highways |
What to do after a burst tyre →Burst tyre replacement on the M25 page
A blowout near J25 is loud and unsettling. Once the car is clear of the motorway, either under its own power at low speed or by recovery, head for somewhere off Great Cambridge Road such as Enfield Retail Park, or turn into a residential street off Bullsmoor Lane. When you ring, quote the road number, A10 or A1055, plus the nearest shop sign you can read.
Between J23 and J27 there is no hard shoulder at all, only emergency areas and live lanes, so the hazard warning switch comes first. Passengers climb out on the side nearest the verge, get over the barrier and keep well back up the grass; walking along the M25 towards Potters Bar is never the plan. Dial 999. Crawling on to South Mimms on bare metal cracks rims and wrecks steering, so the car waits for recovery, and that wheel and its axle partner get checked afterwards.
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Tyre burst on the M25 and now somewhere safe? Ring us with the services or car park name.
