A MAJOR road was brought to a standstill for nearly four hours after police responded to concerns over a man’s safety.

Officers with Essex Police were called to Junction 21 on the A12 near Witham and Hatfield Peverel on Monday at 4.30pm.

They were responding to concerns over the welfare of a man.

Officers took the decision to close the A12 at Hatfield Peverel.

A substantial police presence could be seen at the junction, with Essex Police also blocking the Hatfield Road bridge and sliproad over the A12

Both the southbound and northbound carriageways of the road were completely shut for the duration of the incident.

Drivers were stuck in heavy traffic while police dealt with the incident.

National Highways confirmed the A12 was shut southbound between Junction 22 and Junction 21 near Witham, while northbound it was shut at Junction 21.

They also said congestion and traffic reached back for five miles in both directions.

Overall, the closures caused about 75 minutes of delays to drivers.

Traffic also diverted off the A12 at the junction and police advised drivers to avoid the area if at all possible.

The road reopened at 8.25pm and traffic was able to return to normal but there was still a 20-minute delay and two miles of congestion on the southbound carriageway.

Police said the incident was cleared safely and thanked drivers for putting up with the long closure during the incident.

A spokesman said: “We responded to concerns for a man’s welfare close to the A12 which was reported to us shortly after 4.30pm on Monday.

“A complete road closure was put in place whilst the incident was dealt with.

“The incident was cleared safely, and the road was re-opened by 8.25pm.

“We would like to thank drivers for their patience whilst the road was closed.”

Monday’s delays were the third suffered by motorists within a week.

On Wednesday, the A12 was shut between Hatfield Peverel and Boreham after a six-car collision caused both London-bound and Colchester-bound carriageways to be closed.

A man was left with serious injuries and taken to hospital.

Another six car collision also blocked the A12 on Saturday. 

No-one was hurt, but the London-bound carriageway, between Witham and Hatfield Peverel, was shut.