Two separate incidents on the M25 motorway and the QEII Bridge caused severe traffic congestion and hours of delays for motorists on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
A heavy goods vehicle caught fire at approximately 11 a. m.
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, leading to a lane closure on the QEII Bridge.
Vehicular queues stretched back five miles to Junction 29, bringing significant congestion to the west of Thurrock.
The incident heavily impacted roads leading to the M25 and the local crossing, as reported by Thurrock Nub News.
Later that afternoon, emergency services responded to a separate incident between Junctions 1A and 1B for Dartford, near the Dartford Crossing.
Kent Police and the fire service arrived at the scene near Watling Street following a 2:10 p.
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m. call regarding concerns for an individual's welfare.
Temporary Road Closures and Delays
Authorities implemented temporary road closures in both directions while dealing with the situation, causing traffic to be held entirely.
National Highways reported that all traffic was released by 3:40 p. m.
, though remnants of the disruption left an hour of delays and six miles of congestion on the approach.
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The Kent County Council highways team advised motorists traveling through the Dartford area to approach with caution due to the lingering queues.
