A crash has closed a busy south London route in both directions this afternoon, with London Road in Mitcham shut between St Marks Road and Armfield Crescent while emergency crews respond.
Queues are already building in the area and drivers are being urged to avoid the route and find another way through Mitcham. Travel disruption is expected to grow as the evening rush hour approaches.
This is a developing story. Follow our live updates below for the latest as the situation changes.
Nine bus routes hit
The closure is causing widespread disruption to buses, with nine routes affected including the 127, 152, 200, 201, 264, 270, 280, 355 and S1. Passengers are being told to expect delays, diversions and possible curtailments as buses work around the closed stretch.
Commuters heading through south-west London this evening should check their routes before setting off, as knock-on congestion is likely on surrounding roads.
What to do if you’re travelling
Drivers should avoid London Road between St Marks Road and Armfield Crescent and consider alternatives such as the A236 towards Croydon or the A24 through Tooting, depending on their destination. Bus passengers should allow extra time for their journeys and look out for live departure updates at stops.
Anyone heading towards Mitcham Common, Figges Marsh or the town centre may find their usual bus stopping short of its normal terminus or taking a diverted route, so checking before you travel is essential.
Latest on the closure
At the time of writing, London Road remains shut in both directions while the scene is dealt with. It is not yet clear how long the closure will be in place, and there has been no word on when the road is likely to reopen.
London Road is one of the main routes through Mitcham, carrying local traffic as well as through journeys across the borough, so a closure here tends to ripple outwards quickly. Residential streets around the shut stretch are likely to see extra traffic as sat-navs reroute drivers, something that often adds to the delays for people living nearby.
With the evening peak still to come, drivers heading home through south-west London are advised to leave extra time or set off earlier if they can. Those with the option of working from home this evening may want to take it — closures like this often take longest to clear just as traffic volumes are at their highest.
The best way to keep up to date is to check TfL’s live travel alerts before leaving, and to follow our live updates above, where we will report any change to the closure, new information from the scene, and updates to bus services as they come in.
A busy week for road closures
It has been a disrupted week on the capital’s roads. Earlier today a fire alert closed Thicket Road in Penge in both directions while crews dealt with an incident, and drivers heading towards the M25 faced severe delays after a van fire shut the M26 towards the M25.
Separately, London’s wider roads programme continues, with 250 miles of roads set to be resurfaced in a £450m pothole push — something drivers sitting in today’s queues will no doubt welcome when it reaches their routes.
Emergency services will typically keep a road like this closed until the vehicles involved have been cleared and any debris swept from the carriageway. Closures can last well into the evening when recovery is complex, so drivers should not assume the route will be back open for the journey home.
We will continue updating this live blog as the situation develops.
