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Lorry crash sparks A1 traffic jam


The van hit the side of
the lorry as it attempted
a U-turn, police said

Drivers in North Yorkshire suffered six hours of traffic chaos after the A1 was closed following a crash that left four people injured.
The road was closed early on Monday after a van collided with a lorry between the junctions with the A61 at Baldersby and the A168 near Dishforth.

The driver and three passengers of the van, all from South Yorkshire, were hurt, two of them seriously.

The Polish lorry driver was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving.

Both carriageways were closed to allow investigators to examine the scene.

Traffic was queuing for more than a mile in both directions on the A1 as diversions were put in place.

Police reported heavy jams in surrounding towns of Ripon, Northallerton, Thirsk and Harrogate.

'Major delays'

The major route was finally re-opened shortly before 1100 GMT, North Yorkshire Police said.

Insp Nigel Slater of North Yorkshire Police said: "There were major delays in these areas for the whole morning. This couldn't really have happened at a worse time."

He said North Yorkshire Police were first alerted by the ambulance service at about 0440 GMT on Monday after an Astra van had collided with an articulated lorry on the northbound carriageway.

The lorry was attempting to use a cut-through on to the southbound carriageway when the van collided with it, leaving the lorry straddled across both carriageways.

The four casualties in the van were taken to Harrogate District Hospital. Police said three were from Doncaster and one was from Rotherham.

The lorry driver, who was not injured, was being held at Harrogate police station.

I'll leave out the obvious ranting about Polish lorry drivers and ask why the hell there were four people in an astra van....