A pregnant woman driver and another motorist were taken to hospital after an accident on the A12 which caused delays to evening commuters.

There were delays on both sides of the carriageway after the collision on the London-bound track of the road, near Marks Tey, just before 6pm on Monday.

The woman, of Halstead, was in a Vauxhall Vectra which was involved in a collision with a Ford Escort driven by a man from Witham.

They were both taken by ambulance to Colchester General Hospital with what police describe as minor injuries.

PC Robin Rush, of Stanway traffic unit, said two lanes of the three-lane stretch were closed for about 20 minutes and one lane much longer while the wreckage was cleared.

"It was absolute bedlam when I got to the scene," he said.

He asked any witnesses to contact him at Stanway on 01206 762512.

Police say there were "a lot" of minor shunts in last night's bad weather and are advising motorists to take care and slow down when in poor driving conditions.

Essex Police refused to release further information about this incident.

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