Crashes cause day of Shropshire motoring misery

Traffic tailed back for up to seven miles on the A5 between Shrewsbury and Telford yesterday afternoon as thousands of motorists ground to a halt after a two-car collision at Cluddley, near Wellington.

Meanwhile huge tailbacks also built up on the A5 in Shrewsbury when a car collided with the central reservation at about 1.45pm.

Elsewhere, a car on fire caused disruptions for shoppers at Forge Retail Park in Telford just before 1pm and a man was arrested following a crash in Madeley at 9.50pm.

The two vehicle crash at Cluddley – just before the A5 becomes the M54 – caused long tailbacks as the cars were recovered and debris was cleared from the road, but no one was injured.

Queues of solid traffic formed on both lanes of the eastbound carriageway, stretching almost all the way back to the Preston Island on the edge of Shrewsbury at its peak at about 2.30pm.

Thousands of motorists were forced to crawl along at walking pace as police and firefighters cleared away the debris.

Conscious

Meanwhile a woman was taken to hospital when her car hit the central reservation between Edgebold Island and Bayston Hill Island in Shrewsbury. Her injuries are not thought to be serious and she was said to have been conscious and speaking when she was taken to hospital.

Police, fire and ambulance crews all attended the incident as the woman had to be cut from her vehicle, a red MG sports car.

The road was cleared just before 3pm, and reopened at around 3.40pm.

Claire Thomas, spokesman for the West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: "We were called at 1.45pm yesterday to a one vehicle road traffic collision.

"One patient, a woman, was removed from the car by the fire service. She was treated by staff from two ambulances and a paramedic officer who put her on a spinal board and took her to the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital."

Force Duty Inspector Mark Ashford said there had been a number of minor crashes due to the wet roads.

He said: "Both carriageways were closed along the A5, which reopened within an hour.

"A female driver had hit the central barrier and was taken to hospital but was not in a serious condition.

"It took over an hour because the crash occurred on the central lane.

"There was also an incredible amount of traffic on the roads due to people returning home after Christmas," he continued.

"But the tailbacks on the A5 were due to the first incident."

Later, a man was arrested following a crash at Woodside roundabout in Madeley.

The driver of the car was treated at the scene after the car he was driving went straight across the island, causing him to crash into a hedge.

Fire, police and an ambulance were all called to the scene.

Force Duty Inspector Andrew Smith said: "We were called to the incident as a car has gone across the traffic island in Madeley. After being treated at the scene, the male driver of the car was breathalysed and gave a positive result and was therefore arrested."

Disruption

Earlier in the day, disruption was caused to shoppers at Forge Retail Park in Telford when a car caught fire on the car park.

The incident happened at 12.50pm and a crew from Telford Central attended. They used two hose reel jets and two sets of breathing apparatus to put the fire out, which was doused within 15 minutes.

Inspector Ashford warned drivers to be careful on wet roads and not place too much trust in their modern vehicles.

He said: "Aquaplaning occurs when a car's tyres come into contact with water.

"If someone begins to feel the steering going light it's best to try not to brake but to slow down."

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