A MAJOR Essex road is shut tonight after a serious crash, police said.

Essex Police say they are on the scene of the collision on the A12 between junctions 18 at Sandon and 19 at Boreham.

Both the northbound and southbound carriageways have been closed whilst all emergency services attend, the force added.

Police say they expect the road to be closed for some time to allow emergency services to deal with incident.

Motorists have been urged to avoid the area throughout the evening.

An Essex Police spokesman said: "We appreciate this will inconvenience many people and we thank you for your patience and understanding.

"Anyone who witnessed the incident or has dash cam footage of it should get in touch.

"You can let us know by submitting a report on our website or by using our online Live Chat service available Monday to Friday (excluding public holidays) between 10am-9pm.

"Visit http://esxpol.uk/7ttky to find out more about our website reporting services. Alternatively, you can call us on 101.

"Please cite incident 791 of 31 December."