M25 closure: Suspected illegal immigrants flee from lorry onto carriageway, shutting motorway

The busy motorway was closed for around half an hour

A group of people believed to be illegal immigrants brought the M25 to a standstill when they emerged from a lorry and dashed along the carriageway.

The busy motorway was closed in both directions for around 30 minutes from 1pm, after at least six men jumped out of a freight vehicle near Cobham Services, Surrey.

Dog teams and a police helicopter helped officers on the ground to track the men down, who were detained at different times. Police arrested the group on suspicion of illegal entry into the UK.

Ross Gregory, who was on the M25 at the time, tweeted an image of the lengthy queue he was facing.

One officer live-tweeted during the pursuit.

The incident caused long tailbacks along the M25, which came as London’s roads were unusually busy during a capital-wide Tube strike running until 9:30pm on Thursday.

Additional reporting by PA