Traffic chaos as tunnel closes

Drivers in London face months of misery after yesterday's closure of the Rotherhithe Tunnel. Motoring organisations described yesterday morning's rush-hour as "absolute chaos" and said traffic jams had been "some of the worst that east London has ever seen".

AA Roadwatch said the closure, for maintenance, of the Rotherhithe crossing until at least January would continue to bring added congestion to the Blackwall Tunnel and Tower and London bridges.

Simon Sperryn, of the London Chamber of Commerce, urged the Government to address the capital's traffic crisis.

"The transport situation in London is set to get even worse," he said. It was not just motorists who were facing problems. People using the London Underground faced three separate strikes and fare rises for the Tube and buses which were above the rate of inflation. "Ordinary Londoners are crying out for immediate solutions to deliver them from the current misery of trying to get around the capital," he said.