Ice chaos on county roads
Freezing temperatures caused rush hour chaos in Shropshire this morning with part of the county's only motorway closed because of "treacherous road conditions". Freezing temperatures caused rush hour chaos in Shropshire this morning with part of the county's only motorway closed because of "treacherous road conditions". Crashes on the M54 led to part of the westbound carriageway being closed. The decision was taken after patches of ice formed overnight as temperatures fell to minus 5C. The first smash happened just before 5am on the eastbound carriageway, heading towards Wolverhampton, near the Telford Central Interchange. This was followed by a collision involving several vehicles just before 7am caused by freezing water on the surface of the motorway which had overflowed from a balancing pool in the centre of the roundabout above the road. Chris Ammonds, of Telford police, said conditions had been "extremely treacherous". Read the full story in today's Shropshire Star.
Crashes on the M54 led to part of the westbound carriageway being closed. The decision was taken after patches of ice formed overnight as temperatures fell to minus 5C.
The first smash happened just before 5am on the eastbound carriageway, heading towards Wolverhampton, near the Telford Central Interchange.
A man in his 50s was taken to the town's Princess Royal Hospital with neck injuries after his car turned over on the slippery road surface.
This was followed by a collision involving several vehicles just before 7am caused by freezing water on the surface of the motorway which had overflowed from a balancing pool in the centre of the roundabout above the road.
The westbound lane, heading towards Shrewsbury, was then closed and traffic was diverted off at Junction 6 at Ketley before rejoining at the same junction at the other side of the island.
Collision
It caused major tailbacks during rush hour and the motorway was fully reopened at about 9.30am.
Chris Ammonds, of Telford police, said conditions had been "extremely treacherous".
A spokesman for Shropshire Fire and Rescue Service said the freezing water had collected directly underneath the Junction 6 roundabout.
Traffic was also disrupted when two cars were involved in a collision on an icy stretch of the A5 near the Preston Island, near Shrewsbury.
One vehicle left the road, but the other remained on the road causing long tailbacks for motorists heading eastbound.
There were also collisions on the A483 in Oswestry, near the orthopaedic hospital, and at Hodnet, near Market Drayton.
A spokesman for Shropshire Council said 40 tonnes of grit had been spread on roads across the county overnight and the highways department was continuing to monitor conditions throughout this morning.
By Brett Gibbons
