Snow causes traffic gridlock on key motorways in south-east England

Wintry weather has left motorists stranded for hours on key motorways in south-east England.

Northern sections of the M25 orbital motorway came to a halt overnight due to the heavy snowfall.

At 6am on Monday, Ryan Tilcock from Bedford told BBC Essex that he was stuck in the Waltham Cross area. He had left Bedford on Sunday to drop off his children in Colchester, but then became stuck as he tried to make the return journey.

He said: “There’s a lot of snow, I’ve seen people come off the road and a couple of shunts.

“I saw someone leave and come back with a fast food container, so maybe they’ve gone to get a kebab or something.”

The president of the AA, Edmund King, said: “Many drivers were stranded or severely delayed on the northern section of the M25 last night between London Colney and the M11.

“Traffic is still severely delayed there this morning due to the continuous snow fall.

“The AA has extra patrols out there but obviously with a 25 per cent increase in breakdowns and slower travel conditions it is taking longer to get to some breakdowns.”

For Monday, the AA has issued a travel warning saying that severe delays are being experienced on roads such as the M11, M2, A21, A27 and A249.

The M11 is the link from London to Stansted airport and Cambridge, while the M2 connects the capital with north Kent and Dover. Mr King said: “In areas of the country impacted by snow and ice, drivers should only travel if they really need to.

“Before setting off, make sure all snow and ice is cleared from windscreens, mirrors and lights.

“Most importantly, people need to drive to the conditions which means slowing down, while allowing more space between cars in front and allowing more time to travel.”

Rod Dennis of RAC Breakdown said: “Our teams are incredibly busy today – over 4,000 drivers have already broken down and called us for help this morning and we’re doing everything we can to get to people as quickly as possible.

“By the end of the day we expect to have handled in the region of eight breakdowns every minute, 40 per cent more than we’d expect on a typical Monday in December.

“With some parts of the country blanketed by snow and the rest of the country enduring sub-zero temperatures, drivers should only drive if conditions allow and they feel confident enough to do so, sticking to main routes where possible as these are more likely to be well gritted.

“Carry a blanket and a fully charged mobile phone in case of breakdown. Drivers should be prepared for extremely slippery conditions. Our advice is reduce speed and leave extra space behind the vehicle in front and drive in as high a gear as possible to minimise the chances of wheels spinning and brake gently to avoid skidding.”

National Highways says all motorways in the south east and east of England are now open after heavy snow overnight caused major disruption on the network.