MP described the A13 traffic disruption linked to M25 Junction 31 as a “nightmare” after a crash near the junction closed the clockwise entry slip road. The closure left drivers facing lengthy delays across roads around Lakeside and Purfleet for most of the day.
The disruption began at around 5.30am, when the crash triggered a closure at J31. Essex Highways said drivers could not use that entry point to reach the M25 clockwise and had to go to J30 instead, while queues stretched for several miles.
J31 and J30
After the crash, a spillage led to further lane closures before emergency resurfacing work began. By later in the day, the clockwise entry slip road at J31 remained closed and lane one of three was still shut while repairs continued.
National Highways said resurfacing work was expected to be completed by around 4.30pm. Delays were still ongoing after that time, leaving the A13 and roads around Lakeside and Purfleet under pressure into the evening.
Lakeside and Purfleet
The scale of the queue was the clearest measure of the disruption. Drivers on the A13 faced the same slowdown as traffic feeding through the west of Thurrock, with congestion spread across roads around Lakeside and Purfleet.
The practical route change was simple but costly in time: anyone unable to join the M25 at J31 had to continue to J30. For drivers already caught in the queue, the expected 4.30pm finish did not bring an immediate end to the delays.
How long the delays lasted after that time was not stated, but the road layout left little room for recovery while one lane and the slip road remained shut.
