COMMUTERS were hit with more problems on the A12 after emergency services attended the scene of an oil spillage.

Three fire crews rushed to the scene after they received a call at 1.20pm on Wednesday afternoon.

The spillage had taken place on the A12 southbound between junction 23 and junction 22, Kelvedon to Witham.

Drivers were forced to squeeze into one lane, and although the incident was initially only delaying commuters for 15 minutes at first, journey times soon increased by as much as half an hour as traffic built up towards rush hour.

Essex County Fire and Rescue Service (ECFRS) said the scene had been made safe by about 2.15pm, but the A12 was still down to one lane after the scene was left with police and National Highways.

A12 drivers have been hit with countless problems with the route, with constant roadworks slowing traffic down since late 2022, and frequent collisions resulting in police call outs.

Weekend and overnight closures will resume on the route later this month as National Highways continues its controversial resurfacing scheme, which has run overtime and over budget.

The scheme, which is costing £44 million, could be finished in time for the August bank holiday, National Highways has said.