All M25 traffic is currently being diverted through the Dartford Tunnel, and as you can imagine that is causing long delays in both directions. 

The bridge has been closed since about 02:00. Recovery work is currently under way, but barrier works are also required so it could be some time before you're on the move again. 

• M25 clockwise traffic (bridge-bound) is currently back to the A127
• M25 anti-clockwise traffic is queuing to J1A for Swanscombe

Jack Warren
BBC Local Live

Welcome back to Essex Live. We're starting with news of major travel disruption.

Avoid the M25 Dartford Crossing if you can - the QE2 Bridge is closed because of an earlier accident. 

We'll bring you live coverage of that shortly. If you're stuck, and it's safe to do so, get in touch with us on Twitter, external, Facebook, external or email. 

Bobby-Joe Taylor's first-half double earns Maidstone United victory in the National League over winless Braintree Town.

Brennan Dickenson scores twice as Colchester resist a spirited Grimsby fightback to record their second successive win.

Southend United pile the pressure on Sheffield United by cruising to a resounding victory at Bramall Lane.

A drunken woman is found guilty of outraging public decency after she urinated on a war memorial on the eve of the Battle of the Somme centenary.

Regular updates here at Essex Live have now come to an end - however, check back throughout the night for any breaking news stories. 

The team will be back in action from 08:00 tomorrow morning. Have a great evening. 

Alex Dolan
BBC Look East weather

This evening and overnight will be mainly dry, although there's a small chance of isolated showers in places.

Lows of 8C (46F).

Tomorrow will be cloudy at first, but will become brighter with some sunny spells. Highs of 24C (75F), although it'll feel cooler on the coast.

Get more on the forecast where you live, from BBC Weather.

Jack Warren
BBC Local Live

• A drunken woman urinated on a war memorial in Grays on the eve of the Battle of the Somme centenary, a court has heard
• Essex commuters face an increase of 1.9% on their season tickets from January next year
• Leigh-on-Sea has been named as the happiest place to live in Britain by a new survey 

Nick Alliker
BBC Essex Sport - Live from Sheffield United

It's a warm afternoon in Sheffield and the pressure continues to grow on Southend United manager Phil Brown.

His team have lost the last eight games ahead of their League One fixture at Bramall Lane tonight. 

The Shrimpers need to stop the shocking run to give their supporters some hope for the coming months. 

Kick-off is at 19:45, and you can follow live text commentary here.

Bad news commuters of Essex.... the price of regulated rail fares, including season tickets, are set to go up by 1.9% next year.

Image source, PA

It means if you travel from Colchester to London Liverpool Street, your fare will go up by £113. From Chelmsford, it's a rise of £90 and from Southend Victoria it'll cost an extra £92. 

The rise, determined by July's Retail Prices Index (RPI), external inflation measure, will take effect from January.  

A woman accused of urinating on a Grays war memorial on the eve of the centenary of the Battle of the Somme has appeared in court. 

Image source, N Chadwick/Geograph

It's alleged Kelly Martin, of no fixed address, relieved herself on the monument in front of up to 20 people on 30 June.

The 42-year-old was on bail at the time of the alleged offence, having been arrested for urinating at the same structure in April, Basildon Magistrates' Court heard. 

She denies two charges of outraging public decency, one of common assault and one of using threatening or abusive language, with her also being accused of throwing a bottle at, and verbally abusing, a paramedic at the memorial on 30 June.

Her trial continues.

Jack Warren
BBC Local Live

Everybody is so happy in Leigh-on-Sea even the bushes smile, tweets, external local photographer Mark Taylor.

Image source, Twitter/Mark Taylor01

So what does a dessert have to do with treating a heart attack patient? 

Well, a specialist heart centre in Essex has used a rapid cooling technique - "much like a baked Alaska" - to help a man who'd suffered a heart attack in Basildon. 

Image source, BBC/Essex Cardiothoracic Centre

A "therapeutic hypothermia" was used to reduce the 50-year-old's body temperature from the inside and minimise swelling to his heart muscles during the heart attack. It basically involves a catheter, a balloon and cool liquid.

The Essex Cardiothoracic Centre is the only site in the UK to be involved in trying out the technology.  

Read more here.

Nearly half of inmates claim it is "easy" to get drugs into an Essex prison, a poll has found.  

The survey of prisoners was carried out nationally by HM Inspectorate of Prisons.

The inspectorate said the availability of drugs at HMP Chelmsford is "far worse" than at similar prisons.

Read the full story here.

National League side Braintree Town sign goalkeeper Ross Fitzsimons as cover for the suspended Jamie Butler.

...we were wondering that too, so we asked the creators of the survey which crowned Leigh-on-Sea as the happiest place in Britain to explain. 

Image source, Thinkstock

Property site Rightmove said just under 24,000 people across the UK were asked to rank 12 factors about their local area. 

These ranged from how friendly neighbours are, how much people feel they can be themselves, to how good their local services are.

Out all of those thousands of people asked, Leigh scored higher than anywhere else. 

Doctors at a specialist heart centre use a new rapid cooling technique - "much like a baked Alaska" - to treat a heart attack patient.

Back to the happiest place on Earth, well... Britain... as Southend Borough Council says it's brilliant news that Leigh-on-Sea has been crowned the chirpiest place in the UK. 

Image source, Southend Borough Council

Council leader John Lamb said the seaside town has "something for everyone" and he was "not surprised" locals are happy. 

"I know many residents who work in the city and they cannot wait to get back in the evenings and to be here at the weekend because of what the town has to offer," he said.

BBC Essex sports producer Glenn Speller is on his travels today as he makes the trip to Bramall Lane, where Southend take on Sheffield United.

Colchester are also in action - they're at home to Grimsby. We'll bring you all the pre-match gossip a bit later on this afternoon.