Three incidents in as many hours have been causing traffic nightmares at the Dartford Crossing with traffic tailing back 10 miles taking more than an hour to get through.

A crash involving a car and a lorry blocked the anti-clockwise west tunnel at about 11.30am and at about 1.45pm a broken down crane forced the eastern tunnel to close.

The crash was cleared before the broken down crane forced the road to be blocked again.

The crane was recovered shortly before 2.30pm with delays pushing back as far as junction 4 for Orpington on the M25.

Motorists were warned of further delays on the clockwise carriageway across the QEII bridge following another broken down vehicle on the opposite carriageway forcing three lanes to be closed to allow recovery.

Delays following the incidents at the tunnels have caused gridlock throughout the day on the M25 and the A2 in both directions at the Darenth Interchange.

The crash happened on the anti-clockwise carriageway of the M25 on the stretch inside the left-hand tunnel.

Two lanes were closed inside the tunnel. The right-hand tunnel was still open.

Queues were stretching back towards Junction 3 for the M20 at the Swanley Interchange.

All lanes and the tunnel were reopened by 1.25pm after police, the ambulance service and Highways England officials dealt with the aftermath.

A police spokesman said: "Kent Police was called at 11.32am on September 4 to a report of collision involving a car and a lorry inside a tunnel at the Dartford Crossing.

"No serious injuries are believed to have been reported."

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