Lorry driver arrested as chemical spill leaves thousands of bank holiday motorists stuck in queues on M25

Thousands of drivers were stuck in long tailbacks today after a chemical spillage brought bank holiday getaway traffic to a halt on the M25.
Essex Police arrested a lorry driver after the spillage, which saw a section of the key route between junctions 25 and 27 closed off from 5am this morning as emergency services worked to clear up the mess.
Frustrated drivers were seen getting out of their stalled vehicles as queues snaked along the clockwise M25 in the wake of the spillage, which saw around 3,000 litres of chemical fluid flowing across the carriageway near the village of Theydon Bois.

Jam: Hundreds were stuck on the M25 at the start of the bank holiday weekend today after a chemical spill between junctions 26 and 27 in Essex

The incident cut off a key route for drivers making their way to Stansted Airport at the start of the bank holiday weekend.

The lorry driver, a 43-year-old man from Bulgaria, was arrested on suspicion of committing motoring offences
The section of road in Waltham Abbey is not expected to re-open to traffic for several more hours.
Police in Essex said they were contacted by several motorists shortly before 5am following reports that a number of containers had fallen off the back of a lorry which had struck the central reservation.
Officers arrived and found approximately 3,000 litres of a chemical liquid on the road. They were forced to close the road for safety reasons and the Highways Agency began implementing diversions.
Tottenham Hotspur had to delay their match against Southampton at White Hart Lane by half an hour because of the traffic problems affecting supporters making their way to the game.

Spillage: Police closed a section of the key route from 5am as emergency services worked to clear up the chemical spillage in Waltham Abbey, Essex

Going nowhere fast: Stranded drivers got out of their cars on the motorway this morning

The agency said firefighters from Essex County Fire and Rescue Service are battling to clear up the spillage, after which an inspection will be carried out to determine whether the motorway will need to be re-surfaced.
Drivers were being diverted via the A10, A406 and the M11 this morning.
The Highways Agency was advising long-distance drivers to use the anti-clockwise M25 via Heathrow to avoid the jams.

DAILYMAIL