Emergency calls to traffic stuck on M25 for hours in record heat
People trapped in heavy traffic for hours after a serious collision between a van and a pickup truck on the M25 are being treated for heat-related illnesses during the hottest June temperatures for decades.
South East Coast Ambulance Service (Secamb) said a number of patients were attended to between junctions six and seven on the M25 near Godstone, with a section of the motorway closed and one man taken to hospital.
Teams said they prioritized the most serious cases because long queues made it difficult to reach patients.
A spokesman said the congestion was “severe and prolonged” with some vehicles remaining stationary for hours during the red heat alert.
“This has resulted in a number of calls from people suffering from heat-related illnesses, including some bus passengers,” they said.
Many people, including Folkestone and Hythe MP Tony Vaughan, took to social media to appeal for help from emergency services.
Addressing police and highway crews in one post, Vaughan said: “Please resolve this urgently. People need water and some may need evacuation. You have protocols for this situation – please follow them – this is an emergency!”
He said a member of staff had been stranded on the M25 near Oxted for eight hours, adding: “It’s 40 degrees in his car. He’s got his kids with him. He’s running out of water.”
“The person in the vehicle in front was airlifted to hospital for dehydration. Police appear to be saying it’s not their job to give water.”
One woman posted on Facebook: “My mum and dad have been stranded on the M25 for over 4.5 hours with no information or supplies.
“On the hottest June day in 50 years, in the middle of a red heat warning, there are elderly people, babies, animals, people with health problems on the asphalt!
“Can’t the police provide water and aid? It takes hours to get out!”
Susan Taylor responded to Secamb’s Facebook update: “My daughter and I were involved from 10.15am. We also had a minor hit when a poor lady collapsed at the wheel of her car due to heatstroke.”
Thanking emergency crews “struggling through the traffic”, she added: “Also a huge thank you to the other drivers who helped and to the drivers that passed handing us water and even ice appeared”
