ONE side of the M25 has been shut in Essex after a lorry went up in flames. 

The clockwise carriageway is closed to all traffic to allow emergency services to deal with the incident, which happened just before 1pm. 

The road is shut near Grays, between junctions 29 and 30. 

Highways England is warning the incident is causing heavy congestion on surrounding A roads, such as the A12, A127 and A13. 

>> The latest on this incident is available here

Eyewitnesses have reported seeing an air ambulance near the scene. 

Essex Travel News says the carriageway is likely to be closed for several hours at least. 

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It said: "The road is likely to be closed for most of the afternoon for cleanup and recovery.

"There are also delays anticlockwise with onlookers."

Essex Fire Service said it had sent crews grom Grays, Basildon and Brentwood to the scene. 

In an update 2.40pm, a spokesman said: "Crews have extinguished a fire involving a lorry and its load of granulated coal on the M25.

"Firefighters were called to the clockwise side of the motorway, just before Junction 30 (A13), and found an articulated lorry completely alight.

"The lorry had shed its load, about 20 tonnes of granulated coal, of which about 10 per cent was also alight.

"Crews extinguished the fire by 1.50pm and left the scene in the care of the police and Highways England.

"The road is likely to be closed for most of the afternoon for clean-up and recovery."