Preston's Guild Way flyover reopens 6 hours after crash - this is why it took so long

A major road between Preston and South Ribble has reopened six hours after it was closed following a crash during morning rush hour.
Morning traffic chaos in Penwortham after crash on Guild Way flyover into PrestonMorning traffic chaos in Penwortham after crash on Guild Way flyover into Preston
Morning traffic chaos in Penwortham after crash on Guild Way flyover into Preston

The crash brought the Guild Way flyover to a standstill at 7.20am and police promptly closed the road to allow fire and ambulance crews to work at the scene.

One person has been taken to Royal Preston Hospital for further treatment, but the ambulance service said their injuries are "not life-threatening".

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The Guild Way flyover, taking traffic over the River Ribble between Penwortham and Preston, reopened at 1.30pm - six hours after the crash.

The crash on the Guild Way flyover between Penwortham and Preston led to a six-hour road closure, leading to scenes of traffic bedlam across South RibbleThe crash on the Guild Way flyover between Penwortham and Preston led to a six-hour road closure, leading to scenes of traffic bedlam across South Ribble
The crash on the Guild Way flyover between Penwortham and Preston led to a six-hour road closure, leading to scenes of traffic bedlam across South Ribble

You can read our full report on the crash here, and view our picture gallery showing the scenes of the traffic chaos it caused here.

Read More
These 17 pictures show Penwortham traffic chaos following rush hour crash

Why did it take so long to reopen?

Lancashire Police said the six-hour closure of the flyover was because of oil and fuel leaking from the damaged vehicles and spilling across the road surface.

This led to a major clean-up operation led by the force, with the road allowed to reopen once safety checks had been completed and it had been deemed safe.

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Lancashire County Council said it's highways department was not involved.

At 1pm, a police spokesman said: "The vehicles have been recovered but there has been an oil spill and this is taking some time to clear up. We’re hoping it won’t be too long."

Shortly afterwards, at around 1.30pm, officers reopened the flyover and traffic flow has resumed as normal.

A spokesman for the force added: "Good news - the Penwortham flyover has now fully reopened following the earlier collision.

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"Thank you for your patience and understanding while emergency services and highways teams attended the incident."

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