The Queen Elizabeth II bridge at the Dartford Crossing has been reopened following an earlier police incident, but there are still huge queues on the M25 this afternoon.
Essex Police raced to the bridge this morning in response to concerns for a man’s welfare.
Other emergency services have also been in attendance to deal with the incident.
The bridge links junction 31 of the M25 at Lakeside/Purfleet and junction 1A of the M25 in Dartford, Kent.
A diversion to the Dartford Tunnels has been in place since around 11am, with traffic queues stretching as far as 11 miles on the M25.
Drivers have been warned to avoid the area.
Follow below for all the latest traffic and travel updates
Heavy traffic remains
16:04 , Alastair Lockhart
Traffic is still heavy in places on and around the M25 but has largely cleared since the bridge reopened.
Drivers have been warned to expect severe delays this afternoon and into the evening due to the knock-on of the closure which lasted several hours.
The south side of the crossing remains congested but roads on the north side are less busy.
Police incident 'resolved safely'
15:27 , Matt Watts
Police have said the incident that closed the bridge was resolved “safely”.
The bridge was shut following concerns about the welfare of a man.
A police spokesperson said: "The incident at the Dartford River Crossing has now been resolved safely. We appreciate the patience shown by the public while this work was carried out.
"Traffic is expected to begin moving again shortly."
QEII bridge reopens
14:46 , Tom Place
The QEII bridge has now been reopened following the police led incident today.
National Highways have warned that there are still extremely severe delays due to congestion.
They expect delays in excess of 180 minutes clockwise with 6 miles of congestion, and 55 minutes anti-clockwise with 5 miles of congestion.
The #A282 #QEIIBridge south between J31 and J1A has reopened following a police led incident. @dartcharge
— National Highways: East (@HighwaysEAST) June 10, 2026
Delays are in excess of 180 minutes clockwise with 6 miles of congestion and 55 minutes anti-clockwise with 5 miles of congestion. pic.twitter.com/GUhB6Xz3aU
What is the impact of the bridge closure?
14:36 , Tom Place
The Dartford Crossing is currently the only way to cross the Thames east of London by road.
Also known as the A282, it connects directly at both ends with the M25.
The crossing carries an of average 150,000 a day, with the busiest days seeing up to 180,000 vehicles using it.
Almost 40% of the vehicles using the Dartford Crossing each day are freight vehicles or HGVs – which is a particular issue today, with vehicles over 4'8m (15'9") having to seek alternative routes via the clockwise M25 due to the closure.
Delays show no sign of abating
14:21 , Tom Place
The latest post on the National Highways X account states that the delays are currently 90 minutes clockwise and 55 minutes anticlockwise.
The #A282 #QEIIBridge south between J31 and J1A remains closed due to a police led incident.
— National Highways: East (@HighwaysEAST) June 10, 2026
Traffic caught within the closure continues to be turned from the back of the queue.
Delays are 90 minutes clockwise and 55 minutes anticlockwise.
Diversion: https://t.co/olFZ3XchGV pic.twitter.com/FoqfyrTNul
Huge queues south of the river too
14:12 , tom place
Traffic cameras from south of the river are showing equally long queues following the police incident.
At the longest point, the queue has been 13.5 miles long.
Diverson details
14:03 , Tom Place
Diverted traffic is being advised to follow the hollow triangle diversion symbol and to use the below route:
- From the M25 J30 interchange, take the 3rd exit onto the A13 towards Dagenham and Central London
- At the A12/A102 interchange, take the exit onto the A102 southbound and continue through Blackwall Tunnel
- Follow the A102 and A2 through Kidbrooke and Danson interchanges towards the M25
- Take the exit at the M25 J2 Darenth interchange to re-join the motorway
Images show huge tailbacks
13:51 , Tom Place
Pictures from traffic cams on the M25 show huge tailbacks, with vehicles expected to be delayed for hours.
The below image, from the north side going south, was taken 11 miles away from the bridge, showing the extent of the queues.
Police responding to concerns for man's welfare
13:47 , Tom Place
Essex Police were first alerted to the incident this morning at around 10.50am, responding to concerns for the welfare of a man on the bridge.
A diversion was then put in place using the Dartford Tunnels. Police said delays were expected to continue.
No timescale in place for closure
13:40 , Tom Place
National Highways said that, due to the nature of the incident on the QEII bridge, there are currently no timescales for how exactly long the closure may be in place for.
The eastbore tunnel (for northbound traffic at the crossing) is also closed, with northbound crossing traffic confined to using the west bore Dartford tunnel
As thus has a height restriction of 4'8m (15'9"), vehicles over this height will have to seek an alternative route via the clockwise M25.
'Police led incident' causing huge delays
13:33 , Tom Place
According to the latest update from National Highways, the QEII bridge (or the A282) south remains closed between J31 and J1A due to a “police led incident.”
The traffic caught within the closure is being turned from the back of the queue.
There are delays of 90 minutes clockwise and 30 minutes anticlockwise, which are currently expected to extend into rush hour.
The #A282 #QEIIBridge south between J31 and J1A traffic closed due to a police led incident.
— National Highways: East (@HighwaysEAST) June 10, 2026
Traffic caught within the closure is being turned from the back of the queue.
There are delays of 90 minutes clockwise and 30 minutes anticlockwise.
Diversion: https://t.co/olFZ3XchGV pic.twitter.com/lacNiFNLHt
Queen Elizabeth II bridge closed
13:29 , Alastair Lockhart
The Queen Elizabeth II bridge at the Dartford crossing has been closed, causing huge queues on the M25.
Delays are expected to continue into the afternoon and could affect today’s rush hour.
Follow our live coverage for all the latest updates.
