OWNERS of a lorry which caused gridlock on the A12 when it overturned said today that the driver had been checked over and released from hospital.Turners (Soham) Ltd said the trucker had thankfully suffered no serious injuries in the crash, which blocked the dual carriageway for more than six hours and brought gridlock to the area, leaving drivers unable to get into and out of Ipswich.

OWNERS of a lorry which caused gridlock on the A12 when it overturned said today that the driver had been checked over and released from hospital.

Turners (Soham) Ltd said the trucker had thankfully suffered no serious injuries in the crash, which blocked the dual carriageway for more than six hours and brought gridlock to the area, leaving drivers unable to get into and out of Ipswich.

The crash happened at 6.30am on the A12 at Stratford St Mary, close to the Essex border.

Eyewitnesses said the Scania lorry hit the concrete side reservation before doing a 360-degree U-turn.

It demolished the central reservation and came to rest on its side in the opposite direction from which it was heading.

The driver – who has not been named – had been to Felixstowe to pick up a Sinotrans container from the quayside. It is not known where he was heading.

Ian Storey, personal assistant to the managing director at Turner's headquarters at Newmarket, said: "The driver was checked over at hospital and thankfully sustained no serious injuries. We would not wish to comment further than that."

No other vehicle was believed to be involved in the accident.

The accident resulted in the closure of the southbound lane of the A12 with traffic heading in that direction being turned around and heading back towards Ipswich on the northbound lane.

n Hazards of our roads – turn to pages 22 and 23.