A 55-year-old man has admitted two offences following an incident which saw the A12 closed for more than five hours last year.

Officers were called to reports of concerns for a man on a bridge over the A12 between Stanway and Marks Tey, near Colchester, at about 11.15am on Tuesday, October 10. 

The road was closed for five hours while police dealt with the incident and tried to bring the man to safety.

At about 4.50pm police were able to reopen the A12. 

Simon Graham, of Hunting Gate, Colchester, appeared before Chelmsford Crown Court on Friday, where he pleaded guilty to intentionally or recklessly causing a public nuisance and having an article with a blade or point.

Whilst on the bridge, Graham sent multiple messages to friends – including one which said: “how bad is the traffic in town bud? Sorry for any loss of £££ you may be experiencing because of me.”

Detective Chief Inspector Rob Huddleston, of Essex Police, said: "This was an incident which not only caused a huge amount of disruption to the public but also took away dozens of emergency service workers from helping others across the county.

“We will of course take any report of a concern for welfare seriously and I can assure you that an arrest was only made in this case as it was clear that Graham was carrying out protest activity.

“We have spoken to members of the public who were affected by Graham’s protest, with many missing out on work and appointments as a result.

“Detectives in our Criminal Investigation Department have worked hard to build this case against Graham and hold him accountable for his actions.”

Graham will be sentenced at Chelmsford Crown Court on April 30.