Police closed the Blackwall Tunnel during the early hours of yesterday when a person decided to go for a run through it.

The person captured on CCTV, who appears to be a man, was seen running through the northbound tunnel at around 2.20am.

Officers closed the river crossing briefly for fears over the man's safety.

News of the reason behind the closure was met with mixed reactions on social media, as one Twitter user joked he was travelling faster than the average Blackwall Tunnel traffic.

Transport for London (TfL) Traffic News wrote: "The northbound Blackwall Tunnel is closed due to a person who is jogging through the tunnel."

By 2.30am the tunnel had reopened and police were on the scene

TfL Traffic News posted: "The northbound Blackwall Tunnel has re-opened. Police are now having a word or two with the pedestrian...."

Last month the tunnel was closed for almost 24 hours because of an extensive fuel spill, caused by a crane being carried on the back of a lorry.

Traffic in south-east London was gridlocked for most of the day on May 24 because of the closure, which caused 10-miles of queuing from the tunnel entrance.