Travel chaos on the M25 as drivers are engulfed by thick smoke

See more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred SourceBy OLIVIA CHRISTIE, NEWS REPORTER Published: 22:39 BST, 17 July 2026 | Updated: 22:53 BST, 17 July 2026

Drivers on the M25 were engulfed in thick plumes of smoke after dry fields went up in flames, sparking travel chaos on the first day of the summer holidays. Shocking footage shows motorists unable to see more than a few metres ahead due to the blaze which broke out beside a busy stretch of the motorway this afternoon. The fire quickly spread across 25 hectares of cut crop and the hedgerow of the M25 between junctions 27 and 28 at Brentwood, Essex, also caught alight. The Essex Fire and Rescue Services said that crews had extinguished the fire and that it was left with the farmer by 5.04pm. It comes amid an 'exceptionally' high risk of wildfires in areas of Britain following a two-week heatwave and no rain for a month in some parts of the country. Wind speeds picked up earlier this week which led to heightened concerns about blazes. The grass fire caused one lane of the M25 to be closed, with drivers experiencing severe delays. Drivers on the M25 have been engulfed in thick plumes of smoke after dry fields went up in flames, sparking travel chaos on the first day of the summer holidays The fire quickly spread across 25 hectares of stubble and cut crop and the hedgerow of the M25 between junctions 27 and 28 at Brentwood, Essex, also caught alight The grass fire caused one lane of the M25 to be closed, with drivers experiencing severe delaysA spokesman for the Essex County Fire and Rescue Services said: 'Crews extinguished a fire which was affecting 25 hectares of stubble and cut crop, the fire had spread onto hedgerow of the M25 Junction 27 to 28 anti-clockwise. Crews left the incident with the farmer by 5.04pm.' The chaos comes as the rush to getaway for the school holidays began with many schools in England and Wales breaking up on Friday afternoon.Saturday is expected to be the busiest day on the roads for getaway journeys, with 3.8million planned. A further 3.4million trips will be spread across the three-day period with drivers unsure which exact day they will hit the road, according to the motoring group.The Port of Dover in Kent was expecting 7,000 cars to pass on Friday, although the processing time for tourist traffic in the Buffer Zone at 9am was only 12 minutes.While the heatwave is officially expected to end at 14 days after today, the grip of the long and hot summer is set to last for at least seven to ten more days.