Officers were called around 8am this morning with reports that a number of people had been seen walking into the traffic to block both carriageways between Junctions 28 and 29.
Officers responded swiftly to remove people from the road and both carriageways were reopened within thirty minutes.
Police have made a total of ten arrests.
Chief Inspector Lee Devall said: “Not only will incidents of this nature be frustrating for road users trying to reach their destination, walking into fast moving traffic is extremely dangerous.
“I’d like to thank road users today for their patience and understanding.
“You’ve helped us to clear the area quickly, to keep people safe, minimise disruption, and keep Essex moving.
“Our teams are experienced at dealing with incidents which cause significant disruption and are well prepared for them.”
“We will continue to deal with these incidents robustly.”
