A SINGLE gas cylinder brought a large part of north Essex to a standstill today when the A12 and the railway line to London were closed because of a van that caught fire.

The Ford Transit, which belongs to Essex Fire and Rescue Service, was carrying a portable welding pack containing a 9kg oxyacetylene cylinder.

It caught light just after 8.30am on the southbound carriageway near Eight Ash Green, near Colchester.

AT one point Police marksmen were considering whether to trigger a controlled explosion by shooting the cylinder.

The road was closed off in both directions between Eight Ash Green and Marks Tey amid concerns about the risk of explosions while fire crews from Colchester and one from Tiptree were stationed at the scene, and firefighters kept a 200m exclusion zone in place.

The northbound carriageway of the A12 was reopened to traffic this evening.

Justin Johnston, from Essex Fire and Rescue Service, said: "We are doing everything we can to try to reduce the impact of this incident on the travelling public, but safety must be the driver in any decision we take.

"We are liaising with other agencies and industry specialists to consider all the options available to get the A12 open again in the quickest possible time without putting the public and our own teams at risk."

Fire crews said the road should be fully open by 8am on Saturday.

Essex County Council leader Lord Hanningfield said: "Today's closure of the A12 and London to Norwich mainline rail route has caused chaos across the county's transportation network and many people have been stuck for several hours.

"I want to assure everyone in Essex and those travelling through our county that this most unfortunate incident is being dealt with as quickly as possible by the emergency services and that both road and rail will reopen as soon as it is safe for them to do so.

"I know myself that when such incidents occur it is difficult and frustrating to imagine why it is taking so long to clear but in this case I can assure those currently suffering delays that everything possible is being done in what are very challenging circumstances.

"The safety of the public will always be the highest priority and the soonest possible return to normality will follow as soon as the scene is cleared and made safe.

"I can also confirm that a thorough investigation will be conducted into the incident.

"This will allow us to put in place any measures necessary to return the transport network to normal as quickly and safely as possible following any similar incidents in the future."