Teen stuck on M25 for eight hours on first drive

A teenager who was driving for the first time after passing his exam was stranded on the M25 for eight hours.

The crash, which happened near the Lakeside Shopping Center in Grays, Essex, at 5.30am (BST) on Thursday, caused major delays as the road was not reopened until 20.40 due to numerous complications.

National Highways said about 400 meters of the road had to be repaved after the oil spill and cooling was slowed due to hot weather.

For Beatrix, the 20-minute ride with her relative ended in a long wait at a dead end, but she said she was impressed by her driving instructor’s performance despite the pressure.

The 17-year-old, from Romford, east London, said: “There was me and my cousin in the car and both of our phones died. So we didn’t really know how to get back and were just following the road signs.

“I’ve never used the M25… so that was very scary.”