Dartford Crossing tunnel reopens after spillage

The crossing is used by up to 180,000 vehicles on the busiest days

National Highways A bird's eye view of traffic build up on the M25 approach to the Dartford Crossing, with the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge visible in the distance. — The crossing is used by up to 180,000 vehicles on the busiest days

The Dartford Tunnel fully reopened in the early hours after it was partially closed throughout Monday due to a fuel spillage.

National Highways posted on X at about 06:30 BST on Monday to say the Dartford east tunnel would need to be shut throughout the day.

It said about 400m of the road needed to be resurfaced after the incident involving a maintenance vehicle.

A National Highways spokesman confirmed the tunnel fully reopened shortly after 03:35 on Tuesday.

The northbound carriageway goes through two tunnels, each 0.8 mile (1.4km) in length, and one remained open on Monday.

The crossing links the counties of Essex and Kent via the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge for southbound traffic and two 1.4km-long tunnels for northbound journeys.

Up to 180,000 vehicles use the crossing in both directions each day, National Highways said.

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