There were long delays on the M25 following the closure of the clockwise carriageway at Dartford this afternoon.

Drivers faced queues of up to nearly five miles due to traffic being held for emergency repairs at Junction 1b, south of the Dartford Crossing.

Traffic cameras showed workmen in the road near the junction and traffic being diverted off the slip road, with queues stretching back over the QE2 Bridge into Essex.

A spokesman for National Highways said: "The M25 in Kent is closed clockwise between J1B (Dartford) and J2 (for the A2) due to an infrastructure defect.

"Our contractors are in attendance carrying out emergency repairs. Our traffic officers are also on scene assisting with traffic management."

All lanes have since been re-opened, and queues are easing, with travel time through the area down to around 30 minutes.