Emergency crews have closed Highgate Road in both directions this evening as they respond to an ongoing incident in north London.
Developing story: Details are still emerging and this article will be updated as more information becomes available.
The closure is in place on the stretch of Highgate Road between Croftdown Road and St Alban’s Road, in the Gospel Oak area of the London Borough of Camden. Drivers nearby have reported queues of traffic building up as vehicles are turned away from the closed section.
Emergency services are understood to be at the scene dealing with the incident. The exact nature of what has happened has not yet been confirmed, and few official details had been released as of Friday evening.
What is known so far is limited: the road is shut to traffic in both directions, delays are building on surrounding streets, and crews remain at the location. It is not yet clear what caused the incident, how long the closure will remain in place, whether any bus services are being diverted, or when the road is expected to reopen.
When emergency services shut a road, a cordon is usually put in place around the scene and signed diversions guide drivers around it. Full details — including which routes are affected and how long the shutdown will last — are generally confirmed once the emergency phase is over and the road has been checked and cleared for traffic.
Highgate Road is a busy route linking Kentish Town with Highgate through Gospel Oak. On a Friday evening it carries heavy commuter traffic, and a full closure at rush hour is likely to cause knock-on disruption well beyond the closed stretch, with drivers diverting through neighbouring residential streets.
The timing of the Highgate Road closure — during the Friday evening rush hour — means its impact is likely to be felt across a wide area. Commuters travelling between Camden, Kentish Town and Hampstead are among those most likely to face delays, and traffic is expected to remain heavy on alternative routes until the road reopens.
Road safety on Highgate’s roads has been in the spotlight recently, with calls for urgent safety action on North Road following the death of schoolgirl Melissa Premaratne.
Drivers are being urged to avoid the area if possible and to allow extra time for journeys through Gospel Oak, Kentish Town and Highgate this evening. Motorists heading north towards Highgate or south towards Kentish Town should find alternative routes. For short hops it may be quicker to walk or cycle than to sit in diverted traffic, and residents should expect heavier than usual traffic on surrounding roads. Bus passengers should be aware that services using Highgate Road could be diverted or delayed at short notice — as happened recently when route 310 buses were rerouted via Holloway during roadworks. Anyone driving near the scene should give way to emergency vehicles and must not attempt to drive through the closed section: closures are put in place for the safety of the public and the crews working at the scene.
For the latest on the closure, drivers can check TfL’s traffic status pages and the TfL Go app before setting out, while TfL’s traffic news updates on X flag major road incidents across the capital. Conditions can change quickly while an emergency response is under way, so it is worth checking again shortly before you travel.
Closures linked to emergency incidents are normally lifted once crews have finished their work and the road is judged safe to reopen. A similar shutdown was put in place earlier this week when a police incident led to a road closure around St Pancras. Until an all-clear is given, the stretch of Highgate Road between Croftdown Road and St Alban’s Road will remain shut in both directions.
Anyone who witnessed the incident or has information that could help the emergency services is urged to contact them directly. The emergency services have been contacted for further information, and we will update this story as soon as more details are confirmed.
