A chauffeur sick of sitting in hours of queues on the M25 and the Dartford Crossing is turning heads with a new number plate poking fun at the regular congestion.

Justin Scrutton, from Greenhithe, bought the £250 plate M25 FKD from the DVLA website and says he wanted to make people laugh about the situation.

The 49-year-old says traffic around Dartford gets so bad due to delays at the Crossing and around the M25 that he often has to check Google maps just to pop into town.

Having searched for the plate and fixing it to the personal car he uses for his dogs Lola and Nanna, Justin is now driving around legally with the plate registered to the car.

Justin, who runs airport transfer service Justin Time Travel, previously made headlines after covering the VW Golf he used with fur to drive around with his beloved animals.

He said: "It's a bit of fun really and thought I would make fun about the situation because we can't do anything about it.

"I saw it on the DVLA website and said I'll take that before someone else does. I've spent £400 on a plate before so I thought it was a good price.

"It's to make light of it I just try to look at the funny side of things and put a smile on people's faces.

"I only really drive the car locally but have had people putting their thumbs up to me when they've seen it and there's been loads of responses on social media as well.

"It can happen any time but is worst on a Friday afternoon and it's done (the Dartford Crossing) then both ways," said Justin.

"If you want to go into Dartford you have to go to your phone and can spend hours doing nothing and coming home upset."

Travelling to Stansted Airport "is just a nightmare", Justin says, joking the best way to cross the Thames now is by helicopter.

He welcomes the proposals for the new Lower Thames Crossing but believes traffic and issues around Dartford will continually decline until it is built.

Planning permission is yet to be granted with plans not even being submitted by Highways England. A decision on the bid for the new 14-mile route linking Kent and Essex is not due for at least another year and an opening date scheduled in either 2029 or 2030.

Justin said another crossing closer to Thamesmead, west of the Dartford Crossing should also be considered to manage congestion.

"I know people say if you don't like it then move but my business is here. If I've got a Heathrow landing in the afternoon, I'll give it to one of my drivers.

"I'll try to look out for them but it's a bane and it will only get worse."

He added it becomes almost a full-time job monitoring traffic cameras to see how bad delays are around the M25 approaching Dartford.

With planned closures on the A2 at Bean to allow for a new bridge to be installed this weekend, Justin says diversions through Greenhithe will make traffic horrendous in the area.

"I'm just going to be sitting at home and barricading myself in – it's going to be disastrous," he added.

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