Lorry topples over on roundabout

A 30-year-old man was rushed to hospital after his lorry overturned blocking the busy main road of a Staffordshire town for hours.

The A51 Wolseley Road in Rugeley was blocked for around five hours yesterday afternoon after the Volvo HGV toppled onto its side as it came around the A51 roundabout junction with the Rugeley Eastern Bypass. The lorry overturned at around 3.34pm as its load shifted when it came around the roundabout – blocking the road.

Traffic coming from Stafford toward Rugeley was diverted from the A51 onto the bypass by Staffordshire Police from 3.53pm to avoid the Wolseley Road.

Officers re-opened the route at 8.38pm.

The driver, from Walsall, was taken to Stafford Hospital with minor back injuries following the accident. He was discharged at 7.30pm.

Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service also sent two crews from Rugeley Fire Station to the scene and made the vehicle safe.

This was one of a spate of accidents in Staffordshire yesterday which included two separate incidents on the M6 motorway.

A woman was also taken to hospital after her car collided with a lorry on the M6 near Stafford. Emergency services attended the scene on the northbound carriageway near Stafford Services on the M6, between junctions 14 and 15, just before 8am.

The woman in the car, believed to be in her 40s, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Stafford Hospital as a precaution.

Tailbacks were caused between Junctions 9 and 10 of the M6 last night after an accident and a trailer lost its load of gravel.

Both incidents happened on the northbound carriageway and saw lanes closed from 5.30-7.50pm causing hold ups as far back as Junction 7 at Great Barr.

A car hit the central reservation near Junction 10 at around 5.25pm and two people were taken to Walsall Manor with whiplash. At 5.40pm a towing trailer shed gravel. All lanes were open by 7.50pm.