A chemical spillage from a lorry caused traffic chaos on Saturday, closing roads and delaying Tottenham Hotspur's kick off.
The incident on the M25 near Theydon Bois in Essex brought about the closure of the road clockwise between junctions 26 and 27 for several hours.
Police said they were contacted by several motorists shortly before 5am following reports that a number of containers had fallen off the back of a lorry which had struck the central reservation.
Officers arrived and found approximately 3,000 litres of a chemical liquid on the road. They were forced to close the road for safety reasons and the Highways Agency began implementing diversions.
Tottenham Hotspur had to delay their match against Southampton at White Hart Lane by half an hour because supporters had traffic problems.
A 43-year-old man from Bulgaria was arrested on suspicion of committing motoring offences and was being questioned by road policing officers at Harlow police station.
Police said at 3pm that the carriageway remained closed and it was hoped it would be reopened in a few more hours.
Motorists who were yet to take the M25 in west Essex were advised to find alternative routes to reach their destination on time.