Bad weather crashes halt traffic

Bad weather has been blamed for a spate of accidents that brought traffic to a standstill on the A14 in Suffolk .

At least four separate accidents happened between the Copdock roundabout on the outskirts of Ipswich and the Orwell Bridge.

Several of the crashes happened almost simultaneously, shortly after 6.30pm.

Ambulance crews took one casualty to Ipswich Hospital after four cars collided near the Orwell Bridge.

In the second accident on the A137 slip road with the A14, a car had rolled onto its roof. One person was taken to hospital.

A third incident, on the eastbound carriageway involved a Vauxhall Corsa and a Mazda 626. Two vehicles also collided in the outside lane of the westbound carriageway. The A14 was reduced to one lane in both directions and there were long tailbacks stretching from the Orwell Bridge to Copdock for at least two hours.

Inspector Rebecca Kidd-Stanton said none of the crashes were serious but several could have been avoided if drivers had allowed for dangerous driving conditions.

"The situation was made far worse by the fact that motorists weren't slowing down. At least one motorist went into the back of another, at speed. We would like to stress that if you are driving in an area where the weather is bad and there have clearly been previous accidents, you need to take more care," she added.

Across the county, at Stoke-by-Clare, near Haverhill, three fire crews had to release a man trapped between a car and a van on the A1092. Ambulance crews first arrived at the scene of the accident, shortly after 6pm and called for extra help. The man was taken to hospital but the extent of his injuries was not known.

One casualty was taken to hospital suffering from whiplash after a three-car collision on Nacton Road, near Orwell Country Park, Ipswich, at 5.10pm.

An ambulance also attended yet another accident on the A1120 near the church in Earl Soham at 6.20pm after a car collided with a tree. It was not known whether anyone was injured.