Engineers from Suffolk Highways are busy replacing traffic lights in Ipswich after they were hit by a Vauxhall Corsa.

The crash happened near St Helen's Primary School around 6.35am today, November 18, and saw traffic near gridlocked on the busy road towards the town centre for almost two hours.

A spokesman for Suffolk police said cables from the lights had been exposed, prompting Suffolk Highways to be called to the scene.

The agency hopes to have the work finished before the primary school closes for the day.

A Suffolk Highways spokesman said: "Traditional pole replacement, requiring the pole to be dug out and a new foundation constructed could have taken days. However, following the improvement works carried out at this junction in the summer last year, the old traffic light poles were replaced with ones that sit in sockets in the pavement.

"This has enabled the replacement to be carried out in hours rather than days, and has dramatically reduced the amount of time the crossing is not available for use, which is especially important on such a busy road outside a school."

An ambulance was also in attendance, although it is understood no one involved suffered any injuries.