M1 traffic chaos as motorway closed after serious police incident.

Motorists face huge tailbacks and long delays on the M1, which has been closed today following a police incident near Junction 5 for Watford.

Traffic is temporarily halted on a busy section of the highway this afternoon, causing significant delays for drivers.

A police incident led to the closure of both sides of the M1. Traffic on the M1 northbound has been held between J4 in Elstree and J5 in Watford, and vehicles on the southbound have been stopped between J6 in Bricket Wood and J5, according to National Highways on Tuesday.

The agency warned motorists to expect heavy traffic congestion. Inrix, a traffic monitoring website, also reported disruption, stating that “long delays” were expected between the J4 A41 and J5 A41 Colne Way.

Live cameras show the extent of the traffic chaos on the M1 this afternoon following the incident, but authorities have yet to release any details about what happened.

Queues are still building despite emergency services confirming that the incident has been resolved. According to National Highways, traffic is expected to ease within an hour, but during the current rush hour, people can expect up to an hour of delays.

At 5 p.m., National Highways: East tweeted: “@HertsPolice incident is resolved and traffic released in all lanes on the #M1 northbound between J4 #Elstree and J5 #Watford and southbound between J6 #BricketWood and J5.” Please allow time for delays to subside. Delays of more than 30 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, two cars collided on the M11 between Junctions 6 and 7, causing six miles of traffic congestion, and a car caught fire on the M25 between Junctions 12 and 13, adding to the area’s general delays during rush hour.

According to the most recent message from National Highways regarding the M11 incident, the vehicles involved in the crash have now been removed from the motorway, but there are still delays of over an hour.

The statement on X read: “Delays in excess of an hour on the #M11 southbound due to a collision that closed two (of three) lanes between J7 (#Harlow) and J6 (#M25). Congestion extends for approximately 2.5 miles. The most recent update stated: “Collision cleared and all lanes open on the #M11 southbound between J7 (#Harlow) and J6 (#M25). Delays in excess of 60 minutes, approximately 6 miles of congestion.” Please allow time for the delays to subside.”

Regarding the car fire on the M25, the agency stated: “Traffic is being held on the #M25 anticlockwise between J13 #Staines and J12 (#M3) due to a car fire. @SurreyFRS is on scene. Delays are increasing on approach; we will keep you updated. According to an update at 5.30pm, “Traffic has been released in all lanes on the #M25 anti-clockwise between J13 #Staines and J12 (#M3) following the car fire.” Congestion extends for approximately three miles. Please allow time for the delays to subside.”

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