Traffic in Oxhey Lane was brought to a standstill yesterday afternoon due to an incident involving three RAC vans, a Vauxhall and a Nissan.

The owner of the Nissan, a woman in her 20s, parked her car on a verge in Oxhey Lane and called the RAC after her tyre had punctured.

When the RAC mechanic turned up to replace the tyre, a Vauxhall driving behind the mechanic’s vehicle collided with the van.

The Vauxhall ended up with a smashed front, while the RAC van had a broken steering axle, forcing the mechanic to call the RAC to tow his vehicle.

The driver of the Vauxhall also rang the RAC for road side assistance - resulting in three RAC vans parked along Oxhey Lane and two cars in various states of disrepair.

About two-and-a-half hours later, the driver of the Nissan, who had merely had a puncture, was able to leave the scene.