A MAN has died after jumping from the Dartford Bridge.

The 42-year-old, thought to be from Buckinghamshire, pulled over in his car while on the bridge at around 11am this morning.

He climbed over the safety barrier and stood on the edge of the crossing, threatening to jump.

Trained negotiators spent several hours trying to convince the man not to jump, but at 3pm he walked to the apex of the bridge and launched himself off.

A lifeboat rescued the man before he was rushed to Darenth Valley hospital in Kent, where he later died.

A post-mortem will be carried out tomorrow (Monday).

The bridge closed at 11am causing traffic chaos in the area. There were reports of three-hour delays as motorists were diverted into the tunnels as they travelled clockwise on the M25, with queues stretching back to junction 29 for the A127.

A broken down lorry on the M25, anti-clockwise approaching the tunnel, worsened delays.

At 6pm, police were set to reopen the bridge.