EMERGENCY services were called to Key Street, Ipswich, after a car collided with a building.The accident happened shortly before 7am and the Peugeot 106 leaked 80 to 100ft of diesel on the road.

MOTORISTS faced severe traffic problems in Ipswich today after a car skidded on diesel and crashed into a building.

Drivers faced long delays on the one-way system near the Waterfront, as well as up Foxhall Road and St Helen's Street after the Peugeot 106 hit the building in College Street.

The driver escaped injury but traffic was severely affected throughout the morning rush-hour.

Today's crash happened just a few hundred yards from where a pedestrian was seriously injured on Wednesday.

That accident happened when a Hyundai Lantra car came off the road in Key Street at about 7am and mounted the pavement, pinning him against a wall.

The car also hit a metal post, leaving the pedestrian partly underneath the car and against a wall.

He suffered serious head and leg injuries, and was initially said to be fighting for his life, but a police spokesman today said he was making good progress in Ipswich Hospital and was now well enough to sit up in bed.

The spokesman added that the man's condition was steadily improving.

Today's crash happened shortly before 7am when the red Peugeot skidded into a wall, before rebounding back into the road.

Traffic built up along Bishop's Way and adjoining roads for more than two hours while emergency services cleared the vehicles and the diesel. Some motorists reported journeys from Ravenswood taking up to half an hour to reach the centre of Ipswich.

A two-vehicle accident also happened on the A14 at the Seven Hills roundabout at Nacton today.

The crash happened at 8.04am.

The accidents happened as Suffolk County Council launched a hard-hitting campaign in the run-up to Christmas to stem the rising number of deaths on the county's roads.

Already this year 43 people have been killed on Suffolk's road - seven more than in the whole of last year - and council bosses fear more lives could be lost with the festive season traditionally bringing a rise in the number of crashes.

Guy McGregor, Suffolk County councillor responsible for roads and transport, said: “Reducing the number of people killed and injured on our roads is a huge challenge for us.

“Christmas is the time of the year associated with good cheer, but unfortunately it is also the time of the year associated with road accidents.”

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