London travel news LIVE: M25 shut after lorry bursts into flames as Dartford Tunnel closed
A lorry has burst into flames shutting a stretch of the M25 and sparking an emergency services response.
The HGV caught fire on the motorway between Clacket Lane and Junction 6, near Godstone in Surrey, at 10pm on Sunday.
Dozens of firefighters from Kent and Surrey fire rescue services battled the blaze which shut the M25 in both directions overnight.
The M25 is expected to remain closed clockwise until at least midday on Monday while two of the four anticlockwise lanes were open as of 6.10am.
The incident has also closed the M26 westbound between J2A near Wrotham Heath and M25/A21. Detours are in place.
Meanwhile the Dartford Tunnel has been part-closed after a maintenance vehicle leaked hydraulic fluid during overnight works.
National Highways South-East reports that the East Tunnel is likely to be shut all day, as it needs emergency resurfacing before it can reopen.
It warns there are currently hour-long delays on the approach to the tunnel, which carries traffic northbound from Kent to Essex.
On the Tube, commuters were facing rush-hour disruption on the Northern Line due to a signal fault at London Bridge.
Follow the latest updates below…
Key things to know this morning
-
M25 clockwise expected to be shut until midday after lorry fire
-
Dartford Tunnel likely to be part-closed all day, with drivers currently facing hour-long delays
-
Southeastern trains to and from Victoria and Blackfriars disrupted through morning rush-hour
What’s the current situation on the M25?
07:35 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
The M25 in Surrey/Kent remains closed clockwise between J5 near Sevenoaks and J6 near Godstone/Caterham following a serious lorry fire that happened last night.
The anti-clockwise carriageway has re-opened, but two of the four lanes remain closed within J6.
This has also closed the M26 westbound between J2A near Wrotham Heath and M25/A21.
The clockwise M25 is likely to remain closed until at least midday, so the wreck of the lorry can be removed. The road will likely also need to be resurfaced.
Severe delays on Northern Line
07:27 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
TfL is warning of severe delays on the Northern Line between Kennington and Camden Town via Bank.
The delays are only affecting the northbound route, and are caused by an earlier faulty train.
There’s a good service on the rest of the line, and across the rest of the TfL network.
Southeastern trains to and from Victoria and Blackfriars disrupted
07:06
Overrunning engineering works at London Victoria means Southeastern services running to and from both Victoria and Blackfriars stations are disrupted this morning.
Services may be cancelled or delayed, with the disruption due to last through the morning rush-hour to around 10.30am, says National Rail.
Some trains across the following routes have been cancelled due to trains being stuck in the depot in Victoria:
-
London Blackfriars – Beckenham Junction
-
London Victoria – Orpington
-
London Victoria – Dover Priory / Ramsgate
Hour-long delays as Dartford Tunnel due to be part-closed all day
06:48 , Lydia Chantler-Hicks
There are currently 60-minute delays affecting all approaches to the Dartford Tunnel.
The East Tunnel was shut overnight so maintenance work could be carried out, but it appears a lorry involved in the work has broken down, leaking hydraulic fluid inside the tunnel.
The “large spillage” means the tunnel now requires emergency resurfacing works, says National Highways.
“Due to the extent of the works, the east tunnel will remain closed throughout the day,” it said on X just now.“There are severe delays on all approaches.”
*Update*
The #A282[1] north #DartfordEastTunnel[2] remains closed following a large spillage within the tunnel that requires emergency resurfacing works
Due to the extent of the works, the east tunnel will remain closed throughout the day.
There are severe delays on all approaches pic.twitter.com/px3UlduUoW[3]
— National Highways: South-East (@HighwaysSEAST) October 21, 2024[4]
Dartford Tunnel closed
06:36 , Michael Howie
The Dartford Tunnel is currently closed due to a problem with overnight maintenance works.
A lorry has leaked hydraulic fluid onto the road which is requiring emergency resurfacing to take place, according to National Highways.
M25 lorry fire
06:31 , Michael Howie
The M25 is currently shut clockwise between Junction 5 and 6 after a lorry burst into flames around 10pm last night.
The motorway was closed in both directions for several hours following the incident, which saw emergency services rush to the scene.
Two of four lanes anti-clockwise have since reopened.
However it is expected to stay shut in a clockwise direction until at least midday as specialist recovery takes place and for likely resurfacing work.
Good morning
06:28 , Michael Howie
Welcome to the Standard’s coverage of travel news this Monday morning.
We’ll bring you all the major developments as the day progresses.
References
- ^ #A282 (twitter.com)
- ^ #DartfordEastTunnel (twitter.com)
- ^ pic.twitter.com/px3UlduUoW (t.co)
- ^ October 21, 2024 (twitter.com)