A Victoria Station police incident is causing disruption for commuters travelling through one of London’s busiest transport hubs this morning.
Officers were called to the scene in the early hours of Tuesday, prompting the closure of a lane on Vauxhall Bridge Road at its junction with Victoria Street. Temporary restrictions are also affecting drivers leaving the station via Wilton Place, with the measures expected to stay in place while police deal with the incident.
The disruption has landed at the start of the morning rush hour, the busiest stretch of the day for the roads around the station. Victoria serves thousands of rail, coach and Underground passengers every day, and the streets around it are a key route for buses, taxis and delivery traffic moving through Westminster.
Motorists travelling through the area are being urged to allow extra time for their journeys, with queues likely to build on the surrounding roads as the morning wears on. Traffic is said to be coping reasonably well for now, with no severe delays reported, but drivers are advised to consider alternative routes and check for updates before setting off.
Drivers heading to the station to pick up or drop off passengers may want to leave extra time or arrange to meet a short walk away from the immediate area. Bus passengers should keep an eye on TfL for diversions, as routes along Victoria Street and Vauxhall Bridge Road are often affected when lanes are closed.
It is not the first time the roads around the station have seen rush-hour disruption. A lorry crash on Victoria Street recently blocked a lane and sent queues building back towards the station, while rail passengers have faced their own headaches, with Southern trains cancelled, diverted and cut short because of engineering works at Selhurst.
Here is what we know so far: one lane is shut on Vauxhall Bridge Road where it meets Victoria Street, restrictions are in force on Wilton Place for traffic leaving the station, and officers remain at the scene. The closures are expected to stay until the incident is fully dealt with.
Anyone travelling through the area is advised to check live traffic updates before setting out, as the restrictions could remain in place for some time. With the morning rush still building, even a single lane closure on a key route like Vauxhall Bridge Road can quickly lead to long tailbacks, so planning ahead is the best way to avoid being caught out.
We will continue to follow this story throughout the morning, with updates on the police response, the road closures and the impact on traffic as soon as we have them.
Our live blog below will keep you posted with the latest developments on the Victoria Station police incident as they happen — keep this page refreshed for the newest updates first.
