A technical fault has caused Tower Bridge to get stuck open blocking the busy river crossing route.

The huge bascules were raised at either end at around 2.30pm Monday, August 9, to allow a Jubilee Trust tall ship to pass downriver out from the Pool of London.

Traffic and pedestrians waited for the bascules to be lowered again. But the mechanism jammed firmly in the upright position.

Jessica Mildenhall tweeted: "It appears that after my dad sailed under Tower Bridge onboard Tenacious the bridge stuck open!”

Traffic built up back to the Tower Hill one-way system on the north side and back to Bermondsey on the south side, with drivers having to make U-turns to find alternative routes. Police are now advising motorists to avoid the area.

Buses were stuck in the jam, including the 78 to Shoreditch Church, with passengers having to stay put – they couldn't even get off and walk as the pedestrian access across the bridge was also blocked by the raised bascules.

Tower Bridge is managed by the City of London Corporation.

Their spokesperson told the East London Advertiser: "The bridge is currently stuck in a raised position due to a technical issue. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible and looking into what caused it."

The bridge opens on average twice a day, to let tall boats and shipping through into the Pool of London. But it usually closes again immediately after. Not this time.

Tower Bridge is part of the Inner London Ring Road connecting Aldgate and Whitechapel to Bermondsey and south London which was one of the busiest Thames crossings before lockdown.

It has been a major river crossing route since it opened in 1894 and used by more than 40,000 people a day pre-lockdown.