OVERRUNNING roadworks and a burst water main caused havoc in Colchester as drivers were left crawling along the A12 during rush hour.

Roadworks on the A12, which are not expected to be completed until February, have been ongoing since last year.

National Highways normally implement road closures overnight to allow workers to carry out more in-depth works which normally start at 9pm and finish at 5am.

But the closures were lifted late on Wednesday morning after roadworks overran, and the early traffic build-up was only worsened after a burst water main closed the A12's southbound carriageway.

Gazette:

As a result, motorists came to a standstill between Ardleigh and Spring Lane and traffic across wider Colchester ground to a halt, resulting in lengthy delays for commuters.

One Colchester resident, Chris Rafferty, said: “We missed our train to London because of this. The taxi company failed to inform the driver there was a problem so he arrived late.”

Due to the severity of the situation, police officers were called in to assist engineers from National Highways. 

A spokesman for Essex Police said: “We were contacted shortly after 6.20am by our highways agency partners to assist with the removal of a temporary road closure on the A12 between junction 29 and junction 28.”

By the time the road had finally reopened by 7.40am, three miles of traffic had built up and vehicles were only being allowed through one lane as a safety precaution.

According to bosses at National Highways East, queues were still stretching back four miles nearly two hours later, with commuters’ journeys taking half an hour longer than usual.

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The area of the A12 remained operating with just one lane on the southbound side into the afternoon.

A spokesman for National highways said: "The closure ensured the safety of those working to solve the issue and other road users on the A12.

“The improvement works to make the A12 safer are carried out overnight to lessen the impact on those regularly using this section of the road.

"But we appreciate the impact of the extended closure and apologise to road users whose journeys have been delayed.”