A39 Somerset: dozens injured as double-decker bus overturns in crash with motorcycle in icy weather

Dozens have been injured after a double-decker bus overturned in “treacherous icy road conditions” in Somerset.

Avon and Somerset Police attended the crash, which was declared a major incident and also involved a motorcyclist, on the A39 near Cannington at about 6am on Tuesday (17 January). A “significant number” of police, fire and ambulance units were sent to the scene.

There were 70 workers from the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station onboard the bus, 54 of whom were treated at the scene. Inspector Rebecca Wells-Cole said 26 of the 54 patients were “walking wounded” and being treated at Bridgwater minor injury unit and Southmead Hospital in Bristol.

A police spokesperson also confirmed that there have been no fatalities, and the crash is no longer being treated as a major incident.

Police warned people about icy roads causing dangerous conditions after 53 crashes were reported between 6pm and 11pm on Monday (16 January). Seven of these incidents were reported to have resulted in injuries, but they are not thought to be serious.

Superintendent Mark Runacres said: “We are advising the public to only travel where absolutely essential due to the treacherous driving conditions. If travel is necessary, we ask the public to take extreme caution and allow additional time to travel.

“We have seen a significantly higher number of road-related collisions and incidents in the past 12 hours, which has increased the demand on police resources. We are working with local authorities and National Highways to ensure roads are properly gritted ahead of the rush-hour traffic to improve driving conditions.”

A Met Office yellow warning for ice across central areas of the UK is in place, as temperatures reached a low of -2C in Somerset last night.

The energy company EDF confirmed earlier this morning that workers had been travelling to Hinkley Point C nuclear power station, which is located about eight miles away from the scene, when the crash occurred.

In a statement on Twitter, the company said: “A bus carrying members of the Hinkley Point C workforce has been involved in a traffic incident on the A39 in Bridgwater. Emergency services are on the scene and travel to and from the site has been suspended.”

Closures are currently in place at the junction of Sandford Hill and Quantock Road. Ms Wells-Cole said it may “take us some time to recover the bus and to clear the debris from the road”, meaning local residents should “only travel where absolutely essential.”

Charis Ware, 45, who lives near to the scene of the crash, told PA Media she was first woken by a loud bang. “Then,” she continued, “I heard some more banging and crunching noises, and then I heard shouting, screaming and horns honking, obviously to warn other drivers.

“That’s when I realised that there’d been a serious accident on the road. My initial thoughts were ‘that’s a big bus, there’s a lot of passengers involved. I hope everybody’s OK’.”

Ms Ware added that she hoped authorities would take “accountability” for the accident, as incidents on the road are “regular”. She explained: “Locally, we tend to call this road a bit of a red route. There seems to be regular incidents mainly because of the surface water coming off the fields and when the temperature dips below zero it freezes.

“There have been reports put in to the council and Environment Agency to see if there is any way that they can stop the water from coming onto the road from the fields. But every year and every winter, we seem to have the same problem. So nothing seems to get sorted. It’s very worrying. Especially as it’s such a busy road. I hope somebody will take accountability for what has happened today and that it’s the last time we see something like this happen.”

Bridgwater MP Ian Liddell-Grainger told the BBC: “Obviously it was a terrifying experience for everyone on that bus and my thoughts are with them and their families. But we absolutely must get to the bottom of why this crash occurred because EDF is very conscious of the need to maintain the highest safety standards for the protection of their workers - and that concern naturally extends to those periods when they are being transferred to and from the site.

“I am aware police have been reporting a high number of accidents in the area this morning, all of them blamed on icy road conditions. We need to establish as soon as we can whether similar circumstances played a role in this particular event.”