A car up in flames which closed part of the Dartford tunnel last night has since been put out.

The west tunnel was closed due to the incident, with traffic being diverted via the east tunnel.

However the inferno has since been dealt with by fire crews.

A spokesman for Kent Fire and Rescue said: “Kent Fire and Rescue Service was called to reports of a car alight on the A282 Northbound just before the Dartford West Tunnel.

“Two fire engines attended, and crews wearing breathing apparatus extinguished the flames using hose reel jets.

“No injuries were reported, and the cause is unknown.”

It forced traffic to be slow on the M25 anticlockwise from J1a A206 (Dartford) to J31 A1306 (Lakeside/Purfleet) and queues were reportedly around three miles long, back to the exit for the Darenth Interchange.

The entry slip at J1a also closed.