The M26 has been closed westbound after a crash on the M25 near Chipstead, with queueing traffic forcing congestion back along the M20 to junction 4 at Leybourne.
The closure was reported just before 10am on Friday, and the AA confirmed in a statement at 11.06am that the M26 is shut westbound from the M20 to the M25, with “road closed and queueing traffic due to the M25 accident”.
This is a developing story. Follow our live blog below for the latest updates as the situation changes.
According to the AA, the closure covers the whole westbound stretch of the M26 from its junction with the M20 (junction 3) to the M25. Traffic is building on the M20 east of the closure, with queues now stretching back to junction 4 at Leybourne, near West Malling.
Drivers on the M25 heading clockwise towards the junction for the M26 are also likely to be affected as the queueing traffic filters through one of the busiest interchanges in the south east.
What we know so far
- The closure: the M26 is closed westbound from the M20 to the M25.
- The cause: a crash on the M25 near Chipstead, in Surrey, reported just before 10am.
- The knock-on effect: congestion on the M20 back to junction 4 at Leybourne.
- Still unknown: how many vehicles were involved, whether anyone was injured, and when the road is expected to reopen. Neither National Highways nor Surrey Police had issued a further update at the time of writing.
Why this closure hits so hard
The M26 is a short but vital link motorway, running just under 10 miles between the M25 at junction 5 near Chevening and the M20 at junction 2A near Wrotham in Kent. It is the main shortcut for traffic heading between the M25 and the M20 — and by extension the Channel ports, with Dover, Folkestone and the Channel Tunnel all served from the M20 corridor.
With the westbound carriageway closed for its entire length, drivers who would normally peel off the M25 for the M20 are left with no motorway alternative. The result is exactly what the AA is reporting: the M20 itself is clogging up as diverted and delayed traffic has nowhere else to go, with queues reaching back through the Leybourne area.
Motorists heading for Channel crossings, Gatwick airport or anywhere along the M20 corridor in Kent should allow significantly more time, check live traffic information before setting off, and consider whether their journey can wait until the road reopens.
A difficult morning on the roads
The crash comes during what is already one of the worst mornings of the year for travel across the south east. Storm Austen has brought a yellow wind warning for the whole of Friday, with gusts of 70mph and widespread flooding closing roads and disrupting rail services across London and the home counties — our Storm Austen live blog has the latest on that.
It is also a busy period for the M25 itself. National Highways has a series of planned weekend closures on the M25 affecting junctions across Surrey and Kent, meaning any unplanned incident like today’s crash lands on a network that is already under pressure.
This is a separate incident from the multi-vehicle crash near Clacket Lane services, which is causing its own delays between junctions 5 and 6 of the M25 this morning. Two unrelated crashes on the same orbital motorway within a few miles of each other helps explain why traffic cameras are showing red across the Kent–Surrey stretch of the M25 right now.
We will update this story and the live blog as soon as National Highways or the emergency services release more information.
