This article is from the source 'bbc' and was first published or seen on . It will not be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/england/6939858.stm

The article has changed 4 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Major delays after pile-up on M25 Major delays after pile-up on M25
(about 8 hours later)
A multi-vehicle pile-up on the M25 in Surrey has led to drivers queuing back to Kent during the rush hour. A man in his 20s was taken to hospital with serious chest injuries after a pile-up on the M25 in the rush hour which has led to 15-mile tailbacks.
The clockwise carriageway was closed after the accident which involved several vehicles at about 0730 BST, emergency teams said. The clockwise motorway remains closed after the crash involving two lorries, a van, and a car at about 0730 BST.
The crash happened between junction six for Godstone, and junction seven for the M23, which serves Gatwick. Queues are back to junction five in Kent. The crash happened between junction six for Godstone, Surrey, and junction seven for the M23, serving Gatwick. Vehicles are queuing back into Kent.
A lorry was left across two lanes of the carriageway after the crash. Fire teams said 30 tons of plasterboard was strewn across the carriageway.
Surrey Police said the carriageway was likely to remain closed until mid or late afternoon.
"There will then be a period of time during which the tailback will have to clear - it could take several hours," said Insp Ian Lennock.
We were stuck for four-and-a-half hours on the M25, going about a mile an hour Julie Maddocks
The debris has covered the hard shoulder and all three lanes, a spokesman for Surrey Fire and Rescue Service said.
One lorry was left across two lanes of the carriageway after the crash.
Some traffic ended up trapped between junction six and the crash scene - those vehicles were being turned back to that junction at 1030 BST so they could leave the motorway.
Gatwick Airport is advising all travellers to avoid the motorway and try alternative routes or to use public transport. People stuck in the traffic are being advised to contact their airline direct to notify them.
Shaun Tipton, from the Association of British Travel Agents, said hundreds of people would be heading to Gatwick and "some of them clearly won't make it and will miss their flights".
Traffic was queuing for 15 miles, with four-hour delays reported
But he added they should still try to get to the airport.
"Firstly, airlines often will put you on a later flight," he said.
"And secondly, if you simply don't go to the airport, it's very difficult to prove to your insurance company."
He said people needed to prove they "made every effort to get there".
BBC Radio Kent presenter Julie Maddocks was one of the drivers stuck on the motorway on the way to Gatwick, after joining the M25 at 0745 BST.
She said traffic ground to a halt at Clacket Lane services where there were "a lot of irate drivers".
Friends she was taking to the airport missed their flight to Florida.
"We were stuck for four-and-a-half hours on the M25, going about a mile an hour," she said.