Teen stuck on M25 for eight hours on first drive

Teen stuck on M25 for eight hours on first driveImage source, SuppliedImage caption, Beatrix said one of her arms was burned from sitting in the sun for so longByHenry Godfrey-EvansEssexPublished18 July 2026, 06:35 BSTUpdated 4 hours agoA teenager who was driving for the first time after passing her test ended up stuck on the M25 for eight hours.A crash near Lakeside Shopping Centre in Grays, Essex, at 05:30 BST on Thursday caused huge delays, with the road not reopening until 20:40 due to multiple complications.National Highways said about a quarter of a mile (400m) of road needed resurfacing after an oil spill, and cooling was slowed down by the hot weather. For Beatrix, a 20-minute journey with her relative ended up being a long wait in gridlock, but despite the pressure she said her driving instructor would have been impressed with her performance.The 17-year-old, from Romford, east London, said: "It 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 we were following road signs. "I've never driven on the M25... so, that was very scary."Image source, Ed KeillerImage caption, Drivers faced long delays across Grays, Purfleet and the wider Thurrock areaTemperatures in Grays peaked at 29C (84.2F) on Thursday.Beatrix said: "Everyone was just so thirsty because it was so hot, and then no-one had any water or food or anything in the cars."She said her parents were "so worried" as they did not have her location and had no idea how late she would get back.'No water, no toilets, no food'Image source, SuppliedImage caption, A 60-minute journey became nine hours for Rosie PotterLakeside to Colchester usually takes less than an hour in the car, but for Rosie Potter it was more than nine hours.The 29-year-old civil servant left the retail car park at 13:30 and staggered through her front door at 23:00.She recalled getting emotional and "a bit rattled" as th...