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Home » News & Events » 2012 » February » Warning after high number of road traffic collisions

Warning after high number of road traffic collisions

At around 3.45pm on Saturday (4 February), Hereford & Worcester Fire and Rescue Service (HWFRS) was called to the A4113 Ludlow Road at Leintwardine to help make safe a vehicle that had overturned, while at 4pm, crews from Whitchurch and Ross assisted South Wales Fire and Rescue Service at an incident involving an overturned lorry on the Osbaston to Trybridge Road, not far from Monmouth.


At 6.20pm the same evening, Bromyard firefighters were called to help with a car on its roof following a collision along the A44 at Bredenbury and then at 6.25pm, crews from Ledbury were called to a collision involving two vehicles along the A417 at Ashperton.

Firefighters from Droitwich and Worcester also helped make a vehicle safe following a collision on the northbound carriageway of the M5, between junctions 6 and 5, at 8.35pm on Saturday night.

At 4.40am the following morning (Sunday 5 February), crews from Bromsgrove helped make safe a car which had been in collision with a lamp post along Whettybridge Road in Rubery while at 9.50am, two fire crews from Worcester attended a collision along the A422 at Broughton Hackett, again making safe the two cars involved.

Crews also attended a collision on the M5 southbound between junctions 7 and 8 at around 7.25pm Sunday evening. The incident involved five cars and an articulated lorry and firefighters from both Worcester and Upton helped to make the vehicles safe.

Later the same evening (9.45pm) crews from Ross and Whitchurch helped make safe a vehicle that had left the road and ended up in a hedgerow at Symonds Yat, while at around 11.15pm, crews from Eardisley and Kington were called to assist with an overturned car along the A4112 at Eardisley.

HWFRS also assisted police and ambulance staff at two serious collisions, the first at 9.40am on Sunday 5 February along the A438 at Ledbury and the second at 2.50pm the same day along the A49 at Grafton, near Hereford.

In both incidents, firefighters used specialist cutting equipment to remove the roof from the cars involved to reach the occupants who were medically trapped inside.

Station Commander Sean Bailey, who attended the two more serious incidents, said: "The snow and ice over the weekend will certainly have played a part in many of these collisions, and we'd urge motorists to take extra care on the roads, especially as the cold spell is expected to continue for a while yet."

The Fire Service works closely with the Safer Roads Partnership across Herefordshire and Worcestershire to promote road safety, with a particular push over the winter months with the added risks of snow, ice and freezing fog.

    HWFRS's key safety advice for icy weather includes:

  • Keep a regular check on weather forecasts and travel information, and avoid unnecessary journeys if the roads are known to be icy.
  • Remember that it can take considerably longer to stop in icy conditions, so reduce your speed and keep your distance.
  • Ensure your windows, mirrors and lights are free from ice before starting your journey.
  • Ensure your vehicle is well-maintained and serviced, ready for winter conditions.