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Thousands of drivers are facing long delays after a Tesco lorry burst into flames on the M25.
The blaze broke out between junction 5 and junction 6 at around 10pm on Sunday, between Sevenoaks in Kent and Godstone in Surrey.
All clockwise lanes are closed, with drivers heading northwest towards West London advised to seek other routes. It is likely to remain closed until at least midday on Monday, National Highways said.
A spokesperson added: “Specialist recovery will be required and the road surface will likely need to be resurfaced.” They add that the carriageway will likely be closed “throughout the day.”
The incident involved a Tesco heavy goods vehicle which can be seen engulfed in flames on CCTV footage. No injuries have been reported.
Dashcam footage from the scene shows the moment the Tesco lorry set alight on collision with a junction barrier on the left-hand side of the road.
Sharing the footage on social media, eyewitness Anthony Moc wrote: “Right in front of me. Nearly died.”
“If I was driving on the outer lane and not behind I would have died,” he shared.
Surrey Fire and Rescue said it sent five fire engines and two water carriers to the lane, as the road was closed in both directions. The anti-clockwise carriageway has now reopened, but lanes three and four remain closed within junction 6.
The Government-owned company added: “There are severe delays on all approaches.”
The M26 westbound between junction 2A has also been closed, along with the M25’s junction 5 which connects the major road to the M26 and A21.
Robert Bell, network operations manager for National Highways in the South East, has advised that drivers should avoid the area where possible.
He said: “The challenging nature and extensive damage these incidents have caused means the closures are going to run into tonight’s commute and my advice is to please plan your journey, allow extra time, and avoid the area if you possibly can.
“We have diversions in place but due to these incidents impacting each other there is already significant disruption in the surrounding areas and we expect this to get worse as we move towards the evening commute.”
Heading clockwise, delays approaching the M25 are lasting 90 minutes, while heading clockwise it is 45 minutes.
For road users who were planning on travelling clockwise, a diversion route has been established. They are advised to follow the diversion signage that will take them onto the A21, A25, and A22 before rejoining the M25 towards Gatwick.
Anyone who was planning to use the M26 is also advised to use the M20 to join the M25, but is cautioned that overnight roadworks overrunning at east Dartford tunnel (heading northbound) is causing severe delays on the route.
Meanwhile, a separate incident at the Dartford Crossing between Kent and Essex is also causing major congestion.
National Highways said the northbound Dartford east tunnel is closed as overnight roadworks overran because a maintenance vehicle broke down within it, requiring emergency resurfacing works.
It said there is a “large spillage within the tunnel”, which will “remain closed throughout the day”.
Mr Bell said: “Getting these roads open is our absolute priority and we are doing everything we can to make that happen.
“The M25 and the Dartford crossing are major parts of the strategic road network, and we understand the inconvenience and disruption any closure has. We appreciate people’s patience and understanding while these significant repairs are undertaken.”
