Three lanes on the M25 near Leatherhead were forced to close Wednesday afternoon after a truck crashed and lost its load across the highway.

The crash happened around 4.30pm between Junctions 8 and 9 on the M25 motorway, near to Leatherhead and Reigate.

Highways England reported the incident on Twitter shortly afterwards, and soon confirmed the attendance of the emergency services at the scene.

"#M25 Just after #J8 there has been a single vehicle RTC a small truck has crashed and lost its load over the whole carriageway.

"All lanes have debris of various sizes. Police and Fire on scene," Highways England said on Twitter.

They soon added further details of the incident, revealing the vehicle in question to be a tanker that's load had detached from the truck and obstructed traffic.

"Fire and Police have traffic held while they attempt to clear the carriageway. There is a large object like a large water/oil tank in lane 3 and 4," the transport authority said.

Severe delays in the area were reported as a result of the crash.

Live cameras mounted above the motorway showed traffic jams stretching into the distance in the vicinity during rush hour.

By around 5pm, emergency service crews had successfully re-opened lanes 3 and 4 on the stretch of motorway, Highways England said.