M25 Closed Until Afternoon After Lorry Spills 250 Litres of Fuel in Kent

M25 Shut Down After Major Fuel Spill Causes Emergency Resurfacing

Drivers in Kent are facing severe disruption this morning as a significant fuel spill has forced the closure of a critical stretch of the M25 motorway. The incident, involving a broken-down heavy goods vehicle (HGV), has resulted in approximately 250 litres of diesel being spilled across all three lanes of the anti-clockwise carriageway between Junction 5 (Sevenoaks) and Junction 4 (Bromley).

Extended Closure and Traffic Chaos

National Highways has confirmed that the M25 will remain closed until at least this afternoon due to the necessity of emergency resurfacing work. The closure is expected to cause protracted delays, particularly as holiday-returning traffic compounds the congestion. Traffic is already backing up towards Junction 6 and the A22 in Surrey, with queues extending along the A21 past Chipstead.

"This is likely to be a protracted job and the closure is to remain in place until at least this afternoon," stated National Highways. "This may cause significant delays today due to holiday-returning traffic and we advise road users to plan ahead accordingly."

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Diversion Routes and Driver Advisory

Diversion routes have been established, but authorities warn that these alternative paths are also likely to experience heavy traffic. The official diversion route for motorists is as follows:

1. Exit the M25 at Junction 5 and join the A21 towards Sevenoaks.
2. On the A21, take the first exit onto the A25 towards Riverhead.
3. At the roundabout at Riverhead, take the first exit to remain on the A25.
4. At the next roundabout, take the first exit onto the A224 towards Bromley.
5. Continue on the A224 across the M26 and M25.
6. At the Morants Court Cross roundabout, take the third exit and stay on the A224 towards Bromley.
7. Follow the A224 to the Hewitts roundabout and take the fifth exit to join the M25 link to Junction 4.
8. At the Junction 4 roundabout, take the first exit to rejoin the M25.

Drivers are strongly advised to use navigation apps for real-time updates and to allow extra time for their journeys.

Response and Cleanup Efforts

Recovery of the broken-down HGV has been completed, and pavement engineers are on-site to assess and carry out the required resurfacing. The spill, described as "significant" by officials, necessitates full resurfacing of all three affected lanes to ensure road safety.

National Highways: South-East reported via social media: "The #M25 in #Kent is currently closed anti-clockwise between J5 #Chipstead and J4 #Orpington due to a major diesel spill. Our crews are on site carrying out emergency resurfacing."

This incident underscores the vulnerability of major transport corridors to unexpected disruptions, highlighting the importance of infrastructure resilience and emergency response protocols.