POLICE have closed a portion of the A127 as they carry out an investigation following calls for concern around the welfare of a person.
The A127 Southend Arterial Road’s London-bound lanes are currently shut at the Rayleigh Weir junction, with disruption to Southend-bound traffic also reported.
According to Essex Police, Rayleigh High Street and Rayleigh Road traffic is also severely impacted by the closure.
Initial reports had suggested the cause of the closure to be a crash.
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A spokesperson for the force said: “The A127 is currently closed at the Rayleigh Weir while officers carry out an investigation.
“This follows calls for concerns of the welfare of a person.
“The A127 London bound road is currently closed at the Rayleigh Weir junction.
“There is disruption to Southend bound traffic. The High Street in Rayleigh and The Rayleigh Road are also severely impacted.
“We know nearby routes are also impacted. We would ask motorists to find alternative routes and avoid the area where possible.
“We expect the road to be closed for a number of hours and will update you when we are able to.”
Residents with information, CCTV, dash cam or other footage that relates to the incident are asked to contact the force, citing incident 0155 of Tuesday December 9.
You can get in touch with Essex Police by submitting a report on the force’s website or by using the online Live Chat service which is available 24 hours-a-day, seven days-a-week.
If you would like to make an anonymous report you can contact independent charity Crimestoppers, by visiting their website or by calling 0800 555 111.
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