A serious accident on Richmond Bridge this morning - thought to involve a bus driver - brought traffic chaos this morning.

The bridge was closed at around 8.30am and buses effectively formed a blockade to keep traffic away from the incident.

There are conflicting reports about what happened. One eyewitness said he was told by a bus driver on the scene that the incident was apparently linked to a breakdown of a bus on the bridge.

He said: "What I hear from a driver on the scene is that one bus broke down, a driver from another bus got out to help, and that driver got injured by other traffic."

Another said: "No traffic is going either way across way across the bridge, but the footpaths are still open. A police car was parked on the Twickenham side."

Police in hi-vis jackets taped off the road and a 33 bus was parked across the bridge road on the Richmond side.

Officers at the scene suggested the bridge, which provides a vital route through the centre of town, is likely to be closed for several hours to allow for an investigation.

UPDATE

The Metropolitan Police said: "Police were called by the London Ambulance Service at 07:07hrs on Friday, 29 October to reports of a bus in collision with a pedestrian on Ormond Road in Richmond.

"Officers attended. The male pedestrian was taken to a central London hospital; his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.

"Road closures are in place."

Sources at Transport for London indicated that the driver of a bus which had broken down got out to check the vehicle. However, it appears he was then hit by another passing bus.

TfL's Head of Buses Business Development, Tom Cunnington, said: "We're very concerned by this incident and our thoughts are with the injured driver and their family and friends. We are assisting with the investigation."

The bridge and surround roads remained closed this afternoon to allow for the investigation, causing gridlock and jams across the area.

The issue was made worse by roadworks and traffic restrictions in central Twickenham.