Road traffic collision on M25

Crews were called to the scene of a serious road traffic collision on the M25 early this evening. 

On arrival firefighters reported that a lorry, a minibus and a car were involved in a collision, anti-clockwise between junctions 27 and 26, near Waltham Abbey.

Incident Commander Richie Green said:

"Our crews worked extremely hard in a difficult and dynamic situation. We thank the public for their patience while we worked with other emergency services to make the scene safe." 

The motorway will remain closed anti-clockwise between the junctions for Waltham Abbey and the M11.

Essex Police has urged pedestrians to stay out of live lanes so all emergency services can carry out crucial work at the scene.

The road will remain closed for hours and, if you’re considering travelling before tomorrow’s rush hour, please seek an alternate route.

Update 11:50pm

Essex Police has released the following statement:

We are now in a position to confirm that a number of people have died in this evening’s collision on the M25.

Tragically, three people have been killed and a fourth person remains in hospital with life-threatening injuries.

We are working to inform their loved ones at this time and we would urge that, out of respect for the families, there is no speculation in the meantime.

Our officers were called to the scene, just outside Waltham Abbey, shortly before 6.15pm this evening, Monday 23 August.

The anti-clockwise carriageway remains closed between Junctions 27 and 26 whilst we continue our investigation and we would urge anyone with information or dashcam footage to come forward.

We are particularly keen to trace the movements of all three vehicles – a Mondeo, a minibus and a lorry – leading up to the collision.

Anyone with information who has not yet spoken to our officers is urged to do so.

Anyone who witnessed the collision, has dash cam footage, or has information on it should submit a report online at https://www.essex.police.uk or use the 'Live Chat' button to speak to an online operator between 7am-11pm.

You can also call us on 101 and cite incident 972 of Monday 23 August.

Information can also be given to independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or https://crimestoppers-uk.org.