Mother Mahmuda Rahman said this afternoon (October 13) her toddler, 2, has been crying from hunger after being stuck in A406 traffic for five hours.
This comes after an oil spill on the A13 near Barking, which has caused extensive disruption since at least 9.30am today.
“This is appalling,” Mahmuda said. “We want to just get home and give him something to eat – everyone has their engines switched off and we are sat here.”
“It’s been five hours now,” she added. “My toddler’s crying from hunger.”
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Oliver Harper, who has travelled from Stourbridge in the West Midlands, said he set out at 8.20am with an sat-nav estimated arrival time of 11am, but still remains in traffic.
Oliver had planned to go to Newham event space The Excel, but it is now well past the time he was meant to arrive.
“We’ve travelled 3.1 miles in three hours nearly,” he said. “It’s awful – we’ve missed our check-in time and booked slot for a convention at The Excel now.”
He added that his weekend has been ruined and said whoever caused the spill should compensate his party for the money lost.
Barking and Dagenham Council has advised motorists to avoid the area and plan their route in advance.
Earlier, we reported that a heavily pregnant woman was stuck in traffic with her husband and small child.
The oil spill came after a lorry broke down on the Lodge Avenue Flyover on the A13, which also goes through Rainham, causing queues back to Beckton Roundabout, according to the BBC.
Police also told people to avoid the area and said the A13 at Ripple Road, Dagenham, going towards Dartford Tunnel has been affected.
Delays remain “severe” on the A13 and A406 according to the AA, and Transport for London (TfL) cameras continue to show heavy traffic with minimal movement.
TfL has been asked to provide an update on when the road closures will be lifted.
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