Friday morning traffic and travel: Accidents, closures and rail delays across the South East
Motorists and rail passengers are facing a number of delays across the South East this morning, with accidents, road closures, track safety checks and ongoing disruption following the Lewes derailment.
Hampshire
The M271 southbound is partially blocked following an accident between the A3057 Romsey turn-off and M27 Junction 3 for Southampton Docks. Traffic is reported to be moving slowly.
On the A32 Gosport Road in Fareham, a broken-down vehicle is partially blocking the northbound carriageway between Palmerston Drive and Old Gosport Road, with queues building.
Wallop Road at Grateley remains closed between Cholderton Road/Old Stockbridge Road and Mount Carmel Road because of continuing fire service activity following a hay fire on August 18.
Drivers in Southampton should also expect additional congestion later, with three ships in port scheduled to depart between 4pm and 5pm, affecting West Quay Road, Town Quay and Canute Road.
Sussex
An accident on the A26 at Tarring Neville, close to St Mary’s Church outside Newhaven, is partially blocking the road in both directions and causing queues.
The A259 at Newhaven Swing Bridge is also expected to experience delays when the bridge opens at around 12.15pm.
Rail passengers face further disruption. Track safety checks are causing delays of up to 15 minutes on northbound Gatwick Express services between Brighton and London Victoria.
Southern passengers are experiencing delays of up to 10 minutes and Thameslink passengers delays of up to 25 minutes northbound between Haywards Heath and Purley because of track safety checks.
Major disruption also continues following the Lewes derailment on August 13. Buses are replacing Southern trains between Haywards Heath and Lewes, while there are no direct services between London and Eastbourne or Hastings. Passengers are being advised to travel via Brighton.
Kent
Drivers using the M25 anticlockwise at the Dartford Tunnels are experiencing delays, with around 10 minutes being added to journeys.
There are also queues on the A228 Colts Hill between Five Oak Green and Colt’s Hill through the roadworks, while the A229 Linton Road at Loose is experiencing slow traffic around the B2163 Heath Road junction.
Eurotunnel passengers at Folkestone are being warned of waiting times of up to 30 minutes.
London
The A237 London Road at Mitcham Junction remains closed between the A239 Cranmer Road and Mill Green Road following Wednesday’s wildfire. Diversions are operating for bus routes 127 and S1 while investigations continue.
Traffic is also slow on the A2 Shooters Hill Road westbound, from Blackheath Common towards Deptford Bridge, with journey times of around 15 minutes reported.
Minor delays are being reported on the Hammersmith & City line because of cancellations.
Berkshire
South Western Railway passengers are experiencing delays of up to 10 minutes and some cancellations between Reading and Ascot following earlier problems at a level crossing.
Reading Festival is also under way at Little John’s Farm off Richfield Avenue, with additional traffic and pedestrians expected around Reading town centre and increased passenger numbers at the town’s railway stations. A shuttle bus is operating between Reading station and the festival site.
Drivers and passengers are advised to allow extra time for their journeys and check conditions before travelling, with several incidents continuing to develop throughout Friday morning.
