Two major motorway closures cause disruption and delays as weekend kicks off

We’re about to close our travel live blog for the evening, so thanks for following along.

To close the evening, here’s a list of the major motorway closures planned for this weekend, September 20-22.

Full weekend closure, junction 18-20 eastbound and junction 20-19 westbound, from 9pm Friday until 6am Monday

Southbound closure, junction 22-21A southbound, from 9pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Southbound closure between junction junction 4A-4, 11pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Northbound junction 12-13, 11pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Northbound closure between junction 6-4A, 11pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Eastbound closure, junction 12-13, 8pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Closed in both directions between Saxondale and Barrowby, 8pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Closed northbound between Newark and Apleyhead, 8pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Closed northbound between junction 65-68, 8pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Closed northbound between junction 73-74, 8pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Westbound closure between Fulford Interchange and Askham Bar, 8pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Northbound closure between junction 43-48, 8.30pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Southbound closure between junction 6-5, 11pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Westbound closure between junction 4-3, 8pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Clockwise closure between junction 22-23, 11pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Clockwise between junction 13-15, 11pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Anticlockwise between junction 27-25, 11pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Westbound closure between junction 9-8, 8pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Westbound closure from junction 1 to Ringwood, 9pm Friday to 6am Saturday

West tunnel, 10pm Friday to 5.30am Saturday

Closed in both directions between Wall and Weeford, 11pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Closed northbound between the A1018 for Ryhope Spur and the A690 Herrington Interchange, 8pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Closed southbound between the Ower Roundabout to the M27, 8pm Friday to 6am Saturday

Closed both ways between Shurdington and the Air Balloon Roundabout, 8pm Friday to 6am Saturday southbound and 9pm Friday to 6am Saturday northbound

Trains are no longer being affected by the East Croydon station closure while police investigated a suspicious item.

Remember, if you’ve been delayed by 15 minutes or more due to this or any other incident this evening, you can claim some of your money back through Delay Repay.

The incident has now been cleared and all lanes have reopened after an earlier crash on the A30 between Sourton Down and Launceston in Devon.

The A-road had been blocked for just over two hours on its westbound carriageway.

It’s not been a fun rush hour so far and it looks like disruption on the London Underground could last well into this evening.

There’s no service on the District line between Turnham Green and Richmond due to a signal failure, but there’s good service on the rest of the line.

There’s also a part suspension on the Overground between South Acton and Richmond/Clapham Junction due to the same signal failure and a faulty train at Hackney Wick. There are severe delays on the rest of the line.

The Piccadilly line has severe delays due to a signal failure at Hammersmith.

And there are minor delays on London Tramlink due to the earlier police incident in Croydon.

Trains are now able to stop at and travel through this station following the detonation of a suspicious package.

However National Rail is now warning that disruption, delays and cancellations could last until 8pm.

A Metropolitan Police spokesperson said: ‘At about 16:07hrs police were made aware of a suspicious package in Addiscombe Road, Croydon.

‘Members of the public were evacuated and safety cordons were put in place while specialist officers assessed the item.

‘As a precaution, specialist teams have conducted a controlled explosion at the location.

‘This incident has now been stood down and enquiries remain ongoing.’

Police are advising people to stay clear of East Croydon station.

The station has been fully closed which means trains are unable to stop there or leave.

Here’s the latest from National Rail: ‘The police are currently dealing with a security alert, which means that we will not be able to serve this station.

‘We’re closely monitoring the situation and we’ll update you when it can reopen.

‘If you are already making a journey to this station, please listen to advice from railway staff and the emergency services, pay attention to announcements and check station screens.’

National Rail has told travellers not to attempt to travel to East Croydon station this evening.

Changes to services made so far include:

• Some Thameslink trains will call at Norwood Junction instead of East Croydon (mainly services between Brighton and Cambridge or Bedford, in both directions)
• Some Southern services to & from London Victoria will call at Selhurst instead of East Croydon
• South Croydon will be served by the normal services which call there
• You may also use your ticket on routes via West Croydon at no extra cost. This includes Southern and London Overground.
• London Buses will accept tickets in the local area, but bus routes may also be disrupted by this.

A spokesperson added: ‘Please leave at least 30 minutes of extra time if you need to use another route.

‘Trams are not running in the East Croydon area and we do not recommend you use their services as an alternative.’

Metro has contacted TfL, British Transport Police and the Metropolitan Police for more details

Southern, Gatwick and Thameslink services are currently unable to stop at East Croydon while police deal with an incident at the station.

No further details have been released yet, but the main entrance to the station is shut and passengers already at the station are being asked to use alternative exits.

Trains cannot stop at East Croydon until further notice.

Disruption is expected to last until around 7pm.

National Highways is warning that a serious collision on the A30 between a lorry and a car has blocked the westbound carriageway.

Currently the westbound side of the road is closed between the A386 for Sourton Down and the A388 for Launceston.

Devon and Cornwall Police are at the scene, and it seems likely the A30 will be fully closed while they deal with the incident.

Drivers are being warned to expect long delays.

Motorists face up to 70-minute delays on the A34 northbound after a crash near Chieveley in Newbury, Berkshire.

It happened between J13 (M4/Chieveley) and the A4185 (EastIlsley), and the emergency services are on the scene.

There are tailbacks of around five miles on approach.

A handful of flights have been cancelled at Heathrow today, including by British Airways.

Here are the flights that appeared as cancelled on the airport departure board.

British Airways BA304 at 7.10am to Paris

British Airways BA1304 at 7.30am to Aberdeen

Loganair LM652 at 8.45am to LDY

British Airways BA107 at 12.55pm to Dubai

British Airways BA297 at 3.35pm to Chicago

Delta Air Lines DL021 at 4.50pm to Seattle

Virgin Atlantic VS021 at 5.30pm to Washington DC

We are starting to see the impact of the thunderstorms on the transport networks after some flooding.

Flights have been delayed at Gatwick due to the weather warning.

A spokesperson from Gatwick Airport told Metro.co.uk: ‘Flights are operating however there are delays due to severe thunderstorms. Safety is our top priority flights cannot operate until it is safe to do so.

‘Passengers are advised to contact their airline directly for more information.’

Luckily for passengers, there are no reported cancellations today at the UK’s second-busiest airport.

Some flights have been listed as ‘enquire airline.’

Here are the flights listed as delayed according to the airport departure board as of 3pm.

Ryanair at 1.20pm to Dublin

EasyJet at 1.50pm to Paris

EasyJet at 2.40pm to Athens

EasyJet at 2.50pm to Rennes

Ryanair at 2.55pm to Cork

EasyJet at 3.10pm to Thira Santorini

EasyJet 3.20pm to Amsterdam

WizzAir at 3.20pm to Malaga

Vueling/Iberia/British Airways at 3.25pm to Bilbao

Vueling/Iberia/British Airways at 3.25pm to Florence

TUI at 3.25pm to Tenerife South

EasyJet at 3.55pm to Glasgow

EasyJet 3.55pm to Kefallinia

EasyJet at 4pm to Mahon

EasyJet at 4.20pm to Seville

Vueling/Iberia/British Airways at 4.30pm to Barcelona

EasyJet at 4.45pm to Corfu

British Airways at 4.45pm to Dubrovnik

EasyJet at 4.50pm to Valencia

EasyJet at 5pm to Geneva

TUI South Terminal at 5pm to Heraklion

EasyJet at 5.05pm to Paris

British Airways at 5.10pm to Seville

EasyJet at 5.25pm to Amsterdam

EasyJet 5.35pm to Madrid

EasyJet at 5.40pm to Rome

EasyJet at 5.45pm to Barcelona

EasyJet at 5.45pm to Geneva

EasyJet at 5.50pm to Bodrum

TUI South Terminal at 5.55pm to Burgas

EasyJet at 6.05pm to Zurich

EasyJet at 6.10pm to Copenhagen

British Airways at 6.10pm to Palma de Mallorca

EasyJet at 6.10pm to Prague

EasyJet at 6.25pm to Belfast

EasyJet at 6.30pm to Malaga

EasyJet at 6.30pm to Toulouse

EasyJet at 6.35pm to Belfast City

EasyJet at 6.35pm to Isle of Man

EasyJet at 6.40pm to Montpellier

British Airways 3.05pm to New York

Heathrow Express staff are to launch a 48-hour strike on Monday in a dispute over pay.

The Rail, Maritime and Transport union (RMT) said the walkout follows an overwhelming rejection by its members of a 3.5% pay offer.

The union said it remains open to further negotiations, and called on Heathrow Express management to improve their offer.

A Heathrow Express spokesperson said: ‘It is incredibly disappointing that RMT is planning strikes, but our well-planned contingencies are ready to go.

‘Schedules will continue as normal, and we will keep our passengers moving safely and efficiently. There will be no disruption to Heathrow Express services as a result of this action.’

Another flooding incident – this time at Farnham – is wreaking havoc on trains to London Waterloo.

As a result of water on the railway, all lines are blocked in the area, affecting South Western Railway services.

Trains between Aldershot and Alton could be delayed by up to half an hour.

The disruption is expected to last until 3pm.

Passengers at Farnham should speak to a member of staff about onward travel advice or use the station help point.

All railway lines have been blocked between East Grinstead, West Sussex, and London Victoria station after flooding.

Southern trains between East Grinstead and Victoria will be cancelled or revised until about 1.30pm, National Rail said.

It said flooding on the railway track has created ‘unsafe’ conditions for trains to travel through the station.

Southern is working with Network Rail to reopen the railway.

It comes as the Met Office issued a yellow warning for thunderstorms in the west of England today, tomorrow and Sunday.

Sudden heavy showers could cause disruption today, including spray, standing water and/or hail which could make journeys by car and bus longer and delays on train services.

The M58 has closed near Skelmersdale after a crash outside the West Lancashire town.

All lanes are closed eastbound from J5 (Prescott Road) to J26 (M6 Orrell Interchange).

Police warned drivers of the full road closure this morning, advising motorists to look for an alternative route.

Traffic analyst Inrix said the vehicle rolled over before spilling on the carriageway.

Trapped traffic is now being let past the scene.

The M25 is feeling the brunt of Friday traffic after several incidents across the London Orbital Motorway.

A crash near Potters Bar in Hertfordshire between J24 and J23 is causing delays anticlockwise.

Footage shows an ambulance on the carriageway as traffic is being held behind it.

Drivers should prepare for 30-minute delays on approach to the crash site.

Several train operators have been affected by a trespasser on tracks between Wolverhampton and Birmingham New Street.

Avanti West Coast, CrossCountry, London Northwestern Railway, Transport for Wales and West Midlands Railway trains have been hit by delays and cancellations.

Trains could be delayed by up to 30 minutes, cancelled or revised.

Here are the affected routes.

• Avanti West Coast between Glasgow Central / Edinburgh and London Euston
• CrossCountry between Manchester Piccadilly and Bristol Temple Meads / Bournemouth
• London Northwestern Railway between Liverpool Lime Street / Shrewsbury and Birmingham New Street
• Transport for Wales between Holyhead / Aberystwyth and Birmingham International
• West Midlands Railway between Wolverhampton and Walsall

Traffic on the M25 in Surrey between junctions J5 and J6 has been chock-a-block for hours after the truck fire this morning.

Footage shows the recovery operation underway, with the lorry now emptied out and emergency crews waiting for the truck wreckage to be removed.

It appeared to be carrying barrels or kegs.

Three lanes out of four are now open which will come as a relief to drivers caught in the traffic chaos.

There are still two-and-a-half-hour delays and around 12 miles of congestion in the area, National Highways said.