The Dartford Crossing bridge has been closed and there are long tailbacks after two oil protesters climbed the structure.
There are two-hour delays in both directions and five to six miles of congestion, said National Highways.
Climate change activist group Just Stop Oil said two of its supporters had scaled the 84m-high masts on the north side of the QE2 bridge “to demand that the government halts all new oil and gas licences and consents”.
“The bridge has been closed while we resolve the incident which we will do as quickly and as safely for all involved,” Essex Police said.
“It does mean that we have had to close the bridge to traffic, but a diversion is going to be put in place through the tunnel.
“This is likely to cause delays throughout this morning and this incident may take some time to resolve due to the complexities of safely getting people down from height.”
The bridge, which links Essex and Kent, was shut after the report of climbers was received just before 3.50am. As daylight broke, they were pictured dangling from its steel cables.
The Dartford Crossing also includes two tunnels and is notoriously busy, being the only way to cross the Thames east of London by road.
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Engineer and protester Morgan Trowland, 39, released a statement through Just Stop Oil.
“I can’t challenge this madness in my desk job, designing bridges, so I’m taking direct action, occupying the QE2 bridge until the government stops all new oil,” he said.
Another protester, identified only as Marcus, 33, a teacher, said: “Only direct action will now help to reach the social tipping point we so urgently need.”
There was anger from drivers who faced long delays trying to get to work.
“I’m currently sitting in traffic burning loads of fuel waiting to get on the Woolwich ferry to cross the Thames to get to work…. No thanks to the two d******** who have climbed the #darfordcrossing,” tweeted Nick Reave.
“My husband works for electricity board for London and can’t even get out our road,” posted Sioxsie Wild.
“He had VITAL engineering job to do. Ambulances are stuck and emergency services are stuck. This is causing more damage and literally harm to life.”
Southbound/clockwise traffic is being diverted via the East Bore Tunnel, said National Highways. Traffic northbound/anti-clockwise is being confined to the West Bore Tunnel only.
“Immediate action” is being taken after blueprints of jail layouts were shared online.
The maps detailing the layouts of prisons in England and Wales were leaked on the dark web over the past fortnight, according to The Times.
The detailed information is said to include the locations of cameras and sensors, prompting fears they could be used to smuggle drugs or weapons into prisons or help inmates plan escapes.
Security officials are now working to identify the source of the leak and who might benefit from the details.
The Ministry of Justice did not disclose which prisons were involved in the breach.
A government spokesperson said in a statement: “We are not going to comment on the specific detail of security matters of this kind, but we are aware of a breach of data to the prison estate and, like with all potential breaches, have taken immediate action to ensure prisons remain secure.”
The leak comes amid a chronic prison overcrowding crisis, which has led to early release schemes and the re-categorising of the security risks of some offenders to ease capacity pressures.
The UK will “set out a path” to lift defence spending to 2.5% of national income in the spring, the prime minister has said, finally offering a timeframe for an announcement on the long-awaited hike after mounting criticism.
Sir Keir Starmer gave the date during a phone call with Mark Rutte, the secretary general of NATO, in the wake of threats by Moscow to target UK and US military facilities following a decision by London and Washington to let Ukraine fire their missiles inside Russia.
There was no clarity though on when the 2.5% level will be achieved. The UK says it currently spends around 2.3% of GDP on defence.
A spokeswoman for Downing Street said that the two men “began by discussing the situation in Ukraine and reiterated the importance of putting the country in the strongest possible position going into the winter”.
They also talked about the deployment of thousands of North Korean soldiers to fight alongside Russia.
“The prime minister underscored the need for all NATO countries to step up in support of our collective defence and updated on the government’s progress on the strategic defence review,” the spokeswoman said.
“His government would set out the path to 2.5% in the spring.”
The defence review will also be published in the spring.
While a date for an announcement on 2.5% will be welcomed by the Ministry of Defence, analysts have long warned that such an increase is still well below the amount that is needed to rebuild the armed forces after decades of decline to meet growing global threats from Russia, an increasingly assertive China, North Korea and Iran.
They say the UK needs to be aiming to hit at least 3% – probably higher.
With Donald Trump returning to the White House, there will be significantly more pressure on the UK and other European NATO allies to accelerate increases in defence spending.
A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder after one man died and another was critically injured in a shooting in Birmingham.
Police were called to Rotton Park Road in Edgbaston, just before 11pm on Friday, to reports that two people had been shot.
One man, in his 20s, was found in a car but was pronounced dead at the scene.
Another man, in his 30s, was found injured at a bus stop, and was taken to hospital where he remains in a critical condition, West Midlands Police added.
Firearms officers arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of murder just before 12.30am. He remains in custody.
Officers remain on the scene, with road closures in place. The force said reassurance patrols will also be taking place.
Detective Inspector Nick Barnes said: “This is a tragic incident, and we have worked through the night to understand exactly what happened.
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“We’ve already made good progress and arrested a suspect, but I still need to hear from anyone who was in the area that we’ve not already spoken to.
“This happened near the busy junction with City Road and it may be that you’ve got dashcam footage or mobile phone footage from the area just before 11pm.
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“We really need to hear from you so that we can build as clear a picture as possible of what happened.”
Officers are urging anyone with information to get in contact, with anonymous tips also taken via Crimestoppers.