M25 closed after lorry fire damages road surface in Essex

A section of the M25 in Essex was closed causing "severe" delays after a lorry fire which damaged the road surface, the Highways Agency said.

Emergency services were called to an anticlockwise section between junctions 27 and 26 for the M11 and Waltham Abbey at about 19:30 BST on Thursday.

The vehicle was carrying waste including paint, tyres and paper. Several loud explosions were heard.

A Highways Agency spokesman said the road reopened just after 09:00 BST.

There are still delays of about two hours on the anticlockwise carriageway.

The spokesman urged drivers to check conditions before they set out and plan their journeys to avoid the area if possible.

The lorry driver was uninjured in the fire, which destroyed the vehicle

Six fire engines were called to extinguish the blaze, which took two hours to put out

Highways Agency workers had to cut what remained of the lorry into sections and move it away