National Highways has declared a major incident following severe snow that stranded thousands of drivers on the M20 smart motorway since Sunday night at 8pm. The incident has caused widespread disruption as many vehicles, including lorries, became stuck or jackknifed on the motorway.
Police have been unable to reach key areas to free stuck gritters because some HGV drivers blocked all four lanes on the smart motorway, which does not have a hard shoulder. The snow turned to ice, causing many lorries to freeze in place and creating hazardous driving conditions.
Gritting teams have been working for hours to treat the carriageway amid significant delays. National Highways issued a warning about “severe wintery conditions” affecting the East and South East, with heavy snowfall causing multiple incidents across the region.
Several roads have been worst hit by snow and ice, including:
- M2 in Kent between Junctions 1 and 3 – both directions
- M20 in Kent between Junctions 5 and 9 – both directions (traffic moving but conditions tough)
- M25 in Essex between Junctions 26 and 28 – both directions
- M11 in Essex between Junctions 4 and 7A northbound
Other affected routes include the A21, A27, and A249. Experts warn that hazardous driving conditions are expected to continue until Monday morning, 12th December. Drivers are advised to avoid these routes if possible to stay safe and reduce further delays.
Originally published by UKNIP.
