A 24 year-old man has died following a collision between his motorbike and a lorry on the A12, with police directing miles of queueing traffic around Colchester and Marks Tey.
Essex Police were called at 9am with reports of a two vehicle collision on the A12, heading southbound past Colchester.
A spokesman for Essex Fire and Rescue confirmed that a male casualty was being treated by the ambulance service at the scene.
All roads surrounding the crash are now open, but delays are expected southbound between junction 28 (Colchester Football Stadium) and junction 27 (Spring Lane) while congestion eases.
The miles of queueing cars were made even slower as drivers attempted to get out of the traffic by performing dangerous U-turns.
There were also delays heading northbound on the carriageway between junction 26 (Eight Ash Green) and junction 25 (Marks Tey), due to the road being closed temporarily to allow an air ambulance to land.
The fire service also dealt with a fuel spillage on the road.
Paula Knight, who was stuck in traffic backed up from the accident, described the queues as “at a standstill”.
“People were turning round and going back up the entry slip road by the stadium. Colchester is rammed as well now, a passer-by said we were just sitting, waiting, it’s all anyone could do.
Ms Knight also expressed her sympathy for everyone involved in the accident.
Diversion advice from Highways England can be found here: http://m.highwaysengland.co.uk/#news
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