Residents hand water to stranded drivers after fatal M11 crash

On one of the warmest days of 2021, the Elsenham and Henham communities rallied round to deliver bottles of water to drivers, passengers and police officers on the motorway, which was closed for almost eight hours.

A small vehicle transporter overturned shortly after 10.05am between junctions 10 (Duxford) and 8 (Stansted Airport).

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Paramedics tended to the driver - a 46-year-old man from Southampton - who sadly died at the scene.

Gemma Franklin-Davies was one of the residents who handed water to the emergency services.

Her daughter Imogen, nine, wanted to help police officers working in the heat.

Gemma said: "We dropped off 24 bottles of water to the police on the Elsenham bridge.

"It was my nine-year-old daughter that wanted to do this, for the people stuck but also for the emergency service workers.

"Elsenham and Henham is a close community and it was great to see so many people pull together.

"It's a shame there was such a sad outcome."

The M11 was closed London-bound between Duxford and Stansted Airport from approximately 10.40am to 6.40pm on Saturday.

Police carried out a forensic examination and cleared a diesel spill while the road was closed.

Passengers began carrying their luggage in the direction of Stansted Airport (Image: @beardedbruva/Twitter)

Some passengers began walking in the direction of Stansted Airport (Image: @beardedbruva/Twitter)

Frustrated passengers carried luggage along the motorway in the direction of Stansted Airport, Twitter videos show.

Essex Police Roads Policing team warned drivers not to turn around on the motorway.

The team tweeted: "Anyone driving on the hard shoulder, turning around uninstructed or putting others at risk will be robustly dealt with."

Cars were removed from the M11 but lorries remained in place until the road opened at around 6.40pm (Image: @beardedbruva/Twitter)

A spokesperson for Essex Police said: "We appreciate it was very hot and many people were held up in traffic for several hours.

"We’d like to reiterate our thanks to everyone for their patience while we worked hard with our partners to turn around traffic as quickly and safely as possible."

Police are investigating the collision and said anyone with dashcam footage or information should contact the Serious Collision Investigation Unit: CollisionAppeal@essex.pnn.police.uk

The same stretch of road was closed overnight on Wednesday, July 14 after a major lorry fire.