RUSH-HOUR traffic ground to a standstill on Friday following a fatal road smash at the Dartford crossing.

The crash happened at 5pm between the tolls and the tunnels. A 45-year-old motorcyclist, who died from his injuries at the scene, has yet to be formally named.

He was taken to Darent Valley Hospital and a post-mortem examination is due to be carried out today

An inquest will be opened and adjourned to a later date.

Frustrated motorists found themselves going nowhere fast as traffic tailed back to junction 3 of the M25 at Swanley.

Roads across Dartford quickly became gridlocked as rescue crews were forced to close the road while they cleared the wreckage from the carriageway and tended to the victim.

One motorist, stuck in the queues trying to get back to Essex, said: "It took me two hours to get home. At one point I turned my engine off for about 30 minutes because we were going nowhere.

"People were asking a coach driver if they could use his toilet."

The victim was the fourth motorcyclist to have lost his life following accidents on Dartford roads since Christmas Eve.