Jeremy Clarkson was frustrated by the delays caused by the Hammersmith road collision (Picture: TFL, Rex)

Jeremy Clarkson has received heavy backlash after complaining about the closure of a major road in London caused by a car crash which killed one person.

The Grand Tour presenter was frustrated by the road closures in Hammersmith on Friday, after a nasty collision which involved several cars.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed that three men had been arrested after one man, a 70-year-old pensioner, was killed at the scene. The incident caused road closures around the Hammersmith area lasting much of the day.

Expressing his annoyance at the traffic situation, Jeremy tweeted hours after the crash: ‘Dear The Police, I know it was a nasty crash in Hammersmith last night but how can it take this long to re-open the road?’




The borough of Kensington & Chelsea responded to Jeremy’s complaint, apologised for the inconvenience caused and explained the gravity of the incident due to the man’s death.

They tweeted: ‘Hi Jeremy, we’re sorry this may have caused delay to your journey. Due to the serious nature of the collision, our collision investigation team have to carry out a full forensic investigation which can take time.

‘This is so we are able to provide accurate evidence at court.’

A police officer who claims to specialise in fatal road traffic collisions, weighed in: ‘Cold comfort for a grieving family Jeremy.

‘Personally I prefer, “we did everything we could to find out what happened and why, so hopefully this never happens again”. The road stays closed until I can say that.’

The Roads Police Unit (Traffic) for Surrey Police also replied: ‘.@JeremyClarkson i believe you have had a number of invitations to join a Roads Policing Team for a shift. Please add our name to the list. When it comes to life changing or fatal collisions there is often a lot more to dealing with them than you think.’

Similarly, West Midlands Police said: ‘We would like to extend an invitation for you to come out on patrol with us for a shift – so you can see, first hand, what we have to deal with.’

One woman claimed to have witnessed part of the collision and hit back at the TV star: ‘I saw the fatal crash seconds after it happened and it was horrific. Bits of car and glass all down the A4. All evidence.’

Jeremy replied: ‘I’m sure it was terrible. But once the injured are sorted, the number one priority is opening the road. Blame is irrelevant.’

Metro.co.uk have contacted Jeremy’s reps for comment.

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