A man is fighting for his life after a three car smash up has closed Rotherhithe Tunnel and caused major delays across south and east London.

The tunnel remains shut in both directions following the crash at around 2:20am this morning.

Police said a man, believed to be in his 30s, was in hospital in critical condition following the collision.

Long queueing traffic has been reported in east London and down into Deptford and Greenwich as accident investigation work into the high severity incident takes places between Rotherhithe and Limehouse.

The tunnel is expected to remain closed throughout the morning beyond rush hour, with major congestion on the A13 from Poplar to Whitechapel, and both ways in Bermondsey and from Tower Bridge.

Transport for London have advised drivers to use alternative routes and to expect heavy traffic on approaches after tweeting out a photo of the crash, showing two smashed up cars and debris on the ground.

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">⛔INCIDENT ALERT⛔ Rotherhithe Tunnel (Both Directions) - Closed due to a collision. Use alternative routes. <a href="https://t.co/XX4ORv16Ck">pic.twitter.com/XX4ORv16Ck</a></p>— TfL Traffic News (@TfLTrafficNews) <a href="https://twitter.com/TfLTrafficNews/status/1202104295442800641?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 4, 2019</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

A spokesperson for the Met said: "Police were called at approximately 02:15hrs on Wednesday, 4 December to reports of a road traffic collision involving three cars in the Rotherhithe Tunnel, SE16.

"Officers and London Ambulance Service attended the scene. One man – believed aged in his 30s – has been taken to hospital for treatment to his injuries; he remains there in a critical condition.

"No reports of any other serious injuries. Closures remain in place while the scene is dealt with. No arrests; enquiries continue."