THE A12 was closed for hours after eight vehicles were involved in a serous crash yesterday.

The busy road was closed throughout yesterday evening, March 30, on the Colchester-bound carriageway between Junction 23 for Kelvedon South and Junction 25 for Marks Tey and the A120.

It was eventually scaled down to just Junctions 23 for Kelvedon South and Junction 24 for Kelvedon North.

The closure came after a serious multi-vehicle collision at about 4.27pm.

Essex Fire crews reported eight vehicles had collided, including four HGVs.

Several of the HGVs jackknifed and blocked the road.

Gazette: There were delays for miles along the A12There were delays for miles along the A12 (Image: Essex Travel News)

At its peak, delays of more than an hour were seen as drivers were stuck in more than five miles of tailbacks, stretching back to Junction 20 for Hatfield Peverel.

Some drivers reported being stuck on the road for several hours, as traffic was diverted via Kelvedon town centre.

Essex Fire and Rescue area manager Neil Fenwick said: “Thankfully nobody was trapped inside their vehicles and we’re working as quickly as we can with our partners to get everybody moving safely.

“We expect to be here for several hours while crews assist partners with the recovery of the vehicles.”

Gazette: The A12 was shut for hours as emergency services dealt with the crashThe A12 was shut for hours as emergency services dealt with the crash (Image: Essex Fire and Rescue Service)

Essex Police also issued a statement shortly after the closure, saying: “At this stage, we don’t believe those involved have sustained any major injuries.”

Adam Pipe, head of roads policing at Essex Police, later confirmed this speaking to the BBC.

He said, "thankfully it doesn't look to be a serious collision in regard to casualties".

“There is a fair bit of the carriageway, which is blocked, and we are going to need some heavy equipment to remove it”, Mr Pipe added.

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The force warned drivers the road was expected to be closed for “a number of hours” and asked them to avoid that section of the A12.

The road did remain closed for hours, after National Highways said a complex recovery operation took place throughout the evening.

Shortly after 9pm, delays approaching the closure had eased significantly with recovery nearing completion.

The A12 reopened at just after 11.30pm on Thursday evening.