Police have warned they will be issuing fines to drivers caught filming a lorry fire which caused chaos on the M25 in Essex today. 

The clockwise carriageway near junction 30 at Grays has been closed since 1pm and is unlikely to reopen anytime soon due to the high temperature of the lorry involved. 

Essex Traffic Control says the vehicle cannot be moved because it remains too hot. 

There has also been damage to a roadside barrier which has yet to be repaired. 

Queues are said to have stretched as far back as junction 27 (M11) and police are continuing to help release traffic. 

But officers have hit out at onlookers who were spotted filming and taking pictures of the fire on their phones. 

The Essex Roads Policing team south tweeted: "A number of drivers were seen and recorded filming the scene of the lorry RTC/fire on the M25 today with their mobile phones.

"These drivers will be contacted in due course and will recieve a fine and points.

"It is not acceptable and it is illegal."

Traffic on the anti-clockwise carriageway of the M25 is said to be slow due to onlookers. 

Essex Fire Service says it took around an hour to extinguish the lorry fire. 

It sent crews from Grays, Basildon and Brentwood to tackle the blaze. 

A spokesman said: "Crews have extinguished a fire involving a lorry and its load of granulated coal on the M25.

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"Firefighters were called to the clockwise side of the motorway, just before Junction 30 (A13), and found an articulated lorry completely alight.

"The lorry had shed its load, about 20 tons of granulated coal, of which about 10% was also alight.

"Crews extinguished the fire by 1.50pm and left the scene in the care of the police and Highways England.

"The road is likely to be closed for most of the afternoon for clean-up and recovery."