M25 oil spill sparks miles of traffic in Essex during early morning rush hour

An oil spill on the M25 has sparked long delays and congestion of at least nine miles.

National Highways said that three lanes of the four were closed between junctions 28 and 27 on the anti-clockwise stretch near Chelmsford.

The incident took place at around 05:30 when a broken down lorry started leaking diesel across the carriageway. Commuters have been warned to expect "significant disruption" during the morning rush hour.

An update by National Highways at 06:49 warned of 90 minute delays and approximately nine miles of congestion back to junction 30 with the A13.

It urged drivers to seek alternative routes if possible.

By midday, the M25 was cleared and all lanes were open.

The lorry was believed to have been removed from the road by 09:15, but the road was still being treated to clear the spillage.

The junction 27 connection with the M11 is one of the busiest stretches of the M25.

Junction 28 is a major connecting road with Essex, including Chelmsford and Brentwood.