Suspect bomb closed M25

Police are continuing to question a man on suspicion of making a bomb hoax following claims which led to the Dartford Crossing being closed in both directions.

Kent Police said the 27-year-old foreign national had made threats of a suspicious device on board the coach he had been travelling on.

The incident led to motorists being caught in nine-mile long tailbacks after both the QE2 Bridge and Dartford Tunnels were closed for almost seven hours during rush-hour traffic on Friday night.

Releasing further information, police said they recovered a cylindrical device with wires inside a heavily sealed bag from the coach.

It was found after the force was called at 4.03pm to a report of a male pedestrian behaving unusually at the Dartford Crossing.

He had alighted from a coach which was Dover-bound and run to a rough area nearby, police said.

Security personnel at a nearby distribution depot detained the man and officers arrested him at 4.15pm before he was taken to a police station.

There he made threats as to a suspicious device on board the coach.

The vehicle, which had just gone through the toll booths, was evacuated along with the immediate surrounding area, which was extremely busy at the time.

The man also made further threats that there was an explosive device on another coach.

Officers stopped a coach at 6pm on the A20 at Dover and it was evacuated.

No threat was found and the occupants were later reunited with their coach to continue their journey.

The A20 reopened around 10.45pm.

The M25 Dartford Crossing in Kent has been re-opened after a security alert last night. Drivers were stuck for more than seven hours in nine-mile tailbacks after a pedestrian, who was spotted behaving strangely, was arrested at the scene.

The Queen Elizabeth II Bridge and both tunnels were shut when police officers found a suspicious item. But after Army bomb disposal teams investigated, they said the item posed no threat and reopened all routes.

The A20 was also closed in Dover as officers stopped a coach as part of their inquiries into the Dartford Crossing incident.The coach was removed from the scene, police said, and the road was later reopened. The arrested man remains in police custody. No further arrests were made.

Kent Police has thanked hundreds of motorists for their patience after they were stranded on the M25 following a security alert. Police have now confirmed a suspicious package is not a threat and are reopening the crossing.

Kent Police has tonight said "the item ofinterest does not pose a threat. Enquiries have concluded on the scene and TheHighways Agency and Kent Police are in the process of reopening the DartfordRiver Crossing."

A man arrested from the Dartford River Crossing today remains in police custody.

Kent Police said the crossing remained closed tonight and confirmed bomb disposal teams were at the scene. As part of their investigation, officers also stopped a coach in the A20 area of Dover at 6pm. The A20 was closed as a result of the incident and is due to reopen shortly, police said.

Some motorists and passengers have gone to lengths to enjoy their Friday evening - despite standing traffic on the M25. Jamie Joyes posted this image on Twitter of a group playing rugby. He said:

"Some guys started playing rugby to quell the boredom on the M25"

Hundreds of cars were stuck on the M25 today after a security alert. Some have now been turned around by police. Jamie Joyes tweeted:

"Turned around by police at 8pm to find another route home"

As dusk fell, cars continued to queue on the Dartford Crossing after the bridge and crossing were closed following a security alert.

Motorists continue to wait on the Dartford Crossing tonight. They're slowly being turned around but traffic is still stationary for many. This was sent in by Wayne Bowring on Twitter.

Anna Stanford has posted on Twitter saying: "Glad I found myself next to Mr Whippy. 99s all round on the #M25 #dartfordcrossing"