A MAN was killed and another seriously injured after two lorries and a tanker were involved in a multiple crash on the M25 near Waltham Abbey early yesterday morning (Wednesday).

The crash happened shortlly before 5am when a lorry hit a support pillar of the Roundhills footbridge over the motorway.

The driver, a man in his 30s, was trapped for more than an hour. A few minutes after the original crash as emergency crews worked to free him, a second lorry collided with a tanker which had stopped on the hard shoulder.

The lorry driver, who had not been named at the time of going to press, was declared dead at the scene.

East of England Ambulance Service incident support unit manager Dave Palmer said: "The driver of the lorry with the frontal impact was trapped and unfortunately nothing could be done to save him. The BASICS doctor declared him deceased almost immediately.

"The driver of the lorry with the rear impact escaped uninjured and did not need hospital treatment."

The driver of the first vehicle was freed and taken to Chase Farm Hospital, Enfield, with a badly broken lower right leg and possible abdominal and internal injuries.

The stretch of road was closed for several hours between the M11 and Waltham Abbey junctions while police investigated the scene, recovered the vehicles and made the bridge structurally safe, causing long tailbacks on surrounding routes, including the M11, A406, A10 and A414.

Anyone with information about the crash should ring the Chigwell road policing unit on 01279 621866.