Armed police incident closes major road with hour-long delays

Published: 06 March 2026
The English Chronicle Desk
The English Chronicle Online

A major road remains closed this evening as armed police respond to an ongoing incident, with motorists warned to expect significant disruption and delays .

Emergency services were called to the scene earlier today following reports of concern for safety . Police have closed the road in both directions while they deal with the incident, which is understood to be ongoing .

A spokesperson for the force said: “We are currently dealing with an ongoing incident. The road is closed in both directions and we would ask members of the public to avoid the area while we work to bring this to a safe conclusion. Further updates will be provided when we are in a position to do so” .

National Highways has warned drivers to expect delays of up to 60 minutes, with congestion building rapidly on surrounding routes . Traffic caught within the closure is being turned around from the rear of the queue, but residual delays are expected to continue for several hours even after the road reopens .

Images from traffic cameras show long queues forming, with vehicles stretching back as far as the eye can see. Emergency services, including armed officers, remain at the scene .

The incident has caused major disruption for commuters, with many facing significant delays to their journeys home this evening. Alternative routes are heavily congested as motorists seek to avoid the closed section .

One driver caught in the queues told The English Chronicle: “I’ve been stuck here for nearly two hours. Nobody is telling us anything. We just saw the police cars and then everything stopped. It’s chaos” .

National Highways has advised drivers to allow extra time for journeys, check live travel updates before setting out, and follow advice from emergency services at the scene .