The M25 has been hit by severe congestion after a crash caused lane closures and major delays for passengers travelling to Heathrow Airport.
The collision, which occurred near Romford, blocked two lanes of London’s Orbital Motorway until midday, creating significant disruption for travellers heading to the airport.
Traffic was temporarily brought to a standstill following the crash between Junction 29, near Upminster, and Junction 30, near Thurrock.
Lanes reopened around noon, although heavy congestion continued. No injuries were reported, with only vehicle damage recorded.
Within half an hour of the lanes reopening, traffic was reportedly easing between Junctions 29 and 30.
The accident comes as drivers face additional disruption from the weekend closure of the A3, which connects thousands of motorists to the M25. Roadworks on the A3 are expected to last until Monday, forcing motorists to find alternative routes between the M25 Junction 10 and A3 Wisley interchange.
The closure began yesterday (Friday) and has already been described as chaotic for drivers in the Milford and Wisley areas, according to The Sun.
Surrey County Council stated on its website: “Junction 10 is the busiest section of the M25, with over 270,000 vehicles travelling through it every day
Due to the volume of traffic and the resulting queues, this area of their network has a very poor safety record and holds one of the highest collision rates across the National Highways network.”
“Their improvements will reduce delays, smooth traffic flow and create safer journeys for all.