QEII bridge closed due to ongoing incident

The Queen Elizabeth II bridge has been closed as multiple emergency services deal with an incident affecting the M25.

Essex Police responded to concerns for the welfare of a man on the bridge, which links the M25 between Essex and Kent.

The incident was reported shortly after 10:50 BST and a diversion was put in place using the Dartford Tunnels.

National Highways said there had been delays of over three hours on the clockwise carriageway of the M25 as traffic stretched back eight miles past junction 28 for the A12 at Brentwood,and four miles approaching the tunnels on the anti-clockwise carriageway. Motorists have been urged to avoid the area "wherever possible".

National Highways said vehicles over 4.8m (15'9") in height travelling northbound would have to seek an alternative route via the clockwise M25 due to the restricted size of one of the tunnels.

It also said "there are currently no timescales for how long the closure may be in place for".

Updates were being posted on National Highways: East's account on social media platform X.

Do you have a story suggestion for Essex? Contact us below.

Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.