A section of the A1 in County Durham was closed for around 12 hours after a Warburtons lorry overturned, shedding its load across both carriageways. The incident occurred just after the Bowburn junction on the northbound carriageway, shortly before 5.15am on Wednesday.
Driver taken to hospital
The driver of the lorry was freed by firefighters and taken by paramedics to the University Hospital of North Durham. Emergency services, including police, ambulance and fire crews, attended the scene following the incident.
The A1 northbound was closed between Bowburn and Carrville while recovery and clean-up operations took place. The southbound carriageway was restricted to the hard shoulder only.
Recovery and reopening
National Highways said there was a significant amount of debris to clear and the barrier required repair. Police advised drivers to avoid the area and find an alternative route.
All lanes of the A1 reportedly reopened just before 6pm on Wednesday evening, with traffic returning to normal just after 6.30pm.
Emergency response timeline
Durham Constabulary said they were called to the scene just after 5.10am. A spokesperson for the force said: "Police were called just after 5.10am today following reports that a lorry had overturned on the A1(M) just after the Bowburn junction."
The North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) were called just minutes later. A spokesperson said: "We were called to a road traffic incident on the A1 at Bowburn at 5.14am on 28 October."
A spokesperson for County Durham and Darlington Fire and Rescue Service added: "At 5.12am today (Wednesday), we received a report of an overturned lorry on the A1, between junctions 60 and 61. Two crews, from Spennymoor and Durham, attended the scene to assist with the safe extraction of the driver. Crews left the area by 5.47am."
