Thousands of drivers are suffering severe delays on the M25 after a Tesco lorry crashed and burst into flames last night, causing an emergency closure today while resurfacing work went underway. The fire started just after 10pm on Sunday, October 20, and National Highways reports that a section of the motorway between Junction 5 and Junction 6 (the turns for Sevenoaks and Godstone) will be shut clockwise throughout Monday. This is causing delays of two and a half hours, with congestion stretching for four miles.
National Highways stated: “The clockwise carriageway is likely to remain closed throughout the day as specialist recovery will be required and the carriageway will likely need to be resurfaced. The anti-clockwise carriageway is open with lane 3 of (3) remaining closed within J6. This has also closed the M26 westbound between J2A near Wrotham Heath and M25/A21.”
There are also queues on the A2 towards the M2 at Strood. Video footage of last night’s accident shows the lorry travelling along the M25 when it appears to hit a safety barrier and become engulfed in flames before coming to a standstill.
The crash happened in Surrey between Clacket Lane service station and Junction 6. The driver sustained minor injuries, according to Surrey Police.
