Ikea offered more than 200 people shelter in their store after a crash on the M25 left motorists stranded overnight.

Huge tailbacks formed after two lorries crashed between junctions 30 and 31.

One of the lorries involved in the collision near the Dartford Crossing around 2.35pm on Tuesday overturned and ended up down an embankment.

IKEA Thurrock has been praised for offering up to 200 people beds for the night (Picture: @NatashaSteer)

Many drivers were forced to sleep in their cars but a few fortunate ones close enough to the Ikea in Thurrock were put up for the evening (Picture: @FergalPRMedia)

No-one is believed to have been badly hurt in the crash, but the motorway was closed overnight as repairs had to be made to the road surface.


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Many drivers were forced to sleep in their cars but a few fortunate ones close enough to the Ikea in Thurrock were put up for the evening.



One motorist, Fergal Parkinson, praised Ikea for letting his wife and daughter stay there.

He said they were in a group of about 200 people who were allowed to stay in the store past its normal closing time of 10pm.

My daughter & I are trapped in ikea due to crash on M25…5hrs +counting ..colouring in is saving our sanity..just…thank god for felt tips, rainbows and unicorns ..I can never face a meatball again ? scroll to see a portrait of me when I’m old ..?..scary! pic.twitter.com/0IWgZkxcXK — Esther Rolinson – Artist (@EstherRolinson) August 28, 2018

Esther Rollinson said on Twitter that she and her daughter had been ‘trapped in Ikea’ at Thurrock due to the tailbacks from the crash for ‘5hrs + counting’.

Olympic champion Dame Kelly Holmes also got stuck in the tailbacks.

She was due to go out in her home town of Sevenoaks, Kent to celebrate the 14th anniversary of her gold medal 1500m win at the Athens Olympics.

She told BBC Radio Kent she had been delayed for four and a half hours in the jam.

Huge tailbacks formed after two lorries crashed between junctions 30 and 31 on the M25 (Picture: Wessex News Agency)

She said: ‘I came from Leeds so I’m on 10-hour journey so far. We’re on the slip road from Lakeside getting on to the M25.’

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‘I’ve been given chocolates by someone because I’m celebrating 14 years today of my 1500m win in the Olympics in Athens. I was meant to have a G&T tonight and now I’m stuck on the motorway with these lovely people.’

Ben Glander also tweeted that he had been stuck for hours.

After the road reopened early on Wednesday, Highways England said some delays remained on the M25 clockwise approaching junction 30.

One motorist, Fergal Parkinson, praised Ikea for letting his wife and daughter stay there (Picture: Google Maps)

An IKEA spokesman said: ‘We welcome everyone to visit our stores during the opening hours to enjoy a fun day out with their family.

‘Following a road incident on the M25 yesterday afternoon, we understand that some people opted to wait in IKEA Lakeside rather than in their cars.

‘We accommodated them until around 11pm rather than our normal closing time of 10pm.’

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