Drivers are being told to brace for hours of slowly inching through 11 miles of traffic on the M25 this evening after a serious traffic collision.
A van and a lorry were involved in a smash on the nearby Dartford Crossing this afternoon, leaving one woman in hospital.
Her injuries were not life-threatening.
Photographs show an air ambulance landing on the road, also known as the A282,between junctions J1a and J1b before leaving for a London hospital.
Highway officials are now warning of ‘severe delays’ riddling the M25, the 120-mile road that encircles London.
The M25 is now closed clockwise from J30 (Purfleet-on-Thames) to the A282 J2 (Dartford), leading to jams upon jams across both carriageways.
There is no ‘estimated time’ for when the M25 will fully open, National Highways, which manages Britain’s motorways, told drivers on X.
Motorists should expect their journeys to be two hours longer than normal on the M25 clockwise from J28 (for the A12, Brentwood) to J30.
The traffic jam has since eased to eight miles – just in time for rush hour -according to National Highways.
Those heading on the M25 anti-clockwise between J3 (M20/Swanley) and J1a (Dartford) should expect an hour-long delay, the agency added, after it was briefly held to allow the air ambulance to attend the scene.
‘Traffic has been released so you’ll begin moving imminently,’ National HIghways said.
There are eight miles of congestion clockwise from J28, with delays of 120 minutes expected. With six miles of cars clogging up the M25 anticlockwise J4 (Oprington), highway officials say there will be 90-minute delays.
Road users have been advised to avoid the M25 and the Dartford Crossing. If not possible, drivers should plan for extra journey time – it might be a long evening.
A spokesperson for Kent Police said: ‘Kent Police was called at around 4.05pm on Wednesday 24 July 2024 following a collision involving a van and a lorry on the A282 in Dartford.
‘Officers attended and one woman has been taken to a London hospital for treatment.
‘There is currently heavy congestion in the area and motorists are advised to find alternative routes if possible.’
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