MOTORISTS faced chaos on the A12 in Essex tonight after a serious accident left the road closed for the entire evening.It followed a day of misery for drivers, with emergency services in Essex called to 22 road accidents in little over two hours.

By Danielle Nuttall

MOTORISTS faced chaos on the A12 in Essex tonight after a serious accident left the road closed for the entire evening.

It followed a day of misery for drivers, with emergency services in Essex called to 22 road accidents in little over two hours.

The most serious happened on the London-bound carriageway of the A12, south of Chelmsford, at 5.20pm and involved a lorry and a car.

The 18-year-old male driver of the car, believed to be from London, was taken by ambulance to Broomfield Hospital in Chelmsford suffering from a serious head injury.

His nine-year-old female passenger, from Enfield, was taken by paramedics to the same hospital, but her injuries are not believed to be life-threatening. The lorry driver was uninjured in the crash.

The accident forced police to close the A12 while the vehicles were cleared, causing major tailbacks in both directions. It was expected to be closed for much of the night.