Driver errors in Blackwall Tunnel cause 13 days of jams

The Blackwall Tunnel has been closed 1,200 times in the past nine months because of "ignorant driving", according to figures today.

Drivers who failed to heed the tunnel's height restrictions or who ran out of fuel while inside it caused more than 13 days of traffic jams since last April.

A number of measures have been introduced to restore order. A digital sign, listing the number of vehicles causing delays in the past month, has been installed on the tunnel's northbound approach, in the hope that motorists will check their own vehicles are safe to use.

Transport for London has also introduced a Road Response Police Team in a three-month trial based at the tunnel to help prevent the delays, which can hold up traffic for hours. Kulveer Ranger, the Mayor's transport adviser, said: "We are asking all drivers using the Blackwall Tunnel to use their common sense and make sure their vehicle is not too high and is not likely to break down."

TfL said it was vital that drivers look over their vehicles before setting out on a journey, to ensure they are in a road-worthy condition, that they have enough fuel and that they comply with the tunnel's height limits.

AA president Edmund King said: "These simple actions may appear time consuming but it is better to inconvenience yourself rather than hundreds of other drivers."