Drivers are being advised to avoid a section of the M25 as significant disruption is likely to last into the evening as work continues to repair the carriageway following two major incidents.
A serious HGV fire was reported shortly after 10pm yesterday (Sunday) between junction 5 near Sevenoaks and junction 6 near Godstone on the clockwise carriageway.
Fire crews were at the scene for 10 hours, with the blaze causing major damage to the road surface and central reservation barrier. Recovery of the vehicle has been complicated by the intensity of the fire, meaning parts of the HGV have disintegrated, and work is ongoing to remove debris from the carriageway. Specialist cutting equipment will be used to dismantle the remaining parts of the vehicle on site.
In a separate incident, a large volume of hydraulic liquid leaked during essential overnight maintenance work on one of the northbound tunnels at the Dartford Crossing. This led to the continued closure of the tunnel (east tunnel) as around 400 metres of the road require resurfacing. That means capacity for northbound traffic has been reduced by 50%.
Robert Bell, Network Operations Manager for National Highways in the South East, advised drivers to avoid the area if they can.
“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.
“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.”
For the latest information and current diversion routes, please continue to check the Travel Alerts section of the National Highways website and the regional social media channels
Important information for HGV drivers
Overheight vehicles are unable to access the remaining northbound Dartford crossing tunnel due to a height restriction of 15ft 9” or 4.8m. Drivers are advised to use the clockwise M25 and follow the diversion route