Drivers heading into Kent face an easier journey today - after a huge operation to fix a fuel spillage which caused £150,000 of damage to the Blackwall Tunnel was fixed.

Engineers worked throughout yesterday and last night as more than 2,000 square metres of road had to be resurfaced following a fuel and hydraulic fluid spillage.

A mobile crane had leaked fluid in the tunnel for more than a kilometre, with the tunnel only opening at 3am today after 13 hours of resurfacing work.

The spillage from a mobile crane was so extensive 14 lorry-loads of damaged asphalt had to be removed overnight.

Garrett Emmerson, Transport for London's chief operating officer, surface transport, said: "We apologise to all drivers and bus passengers who were affected by the spillage in Blackwall Tunnel yesterday, which meant we had to keep the northbound tunnel closed all day to remove and resurface thousands of square metres of road.

"Safety is our number one priority and, while it has been frustrating to lose this vital river crossing, we and our contractors have worked as hard and fast as we can to reopen the tunnel.

" We have seen on CCTV footage that the spillage was caused by a mobile crane and will be investigating further with the police."

TfL will be pursuing the cost of damage from the crane's operator.