Humberside Police issue statement after major traffic delays

Following the traffic issues on the M62 and A15 yesterday (Tuesday March 31) caused by the closure of the Ouse Bridge and the Humber Bridge respectively Humberside Police have release the following comment.

Temporary Chief Inspector Mike Dring said: “Yesterday saw us facing a real challenge as we worked with the Highways Agency to tackle incidents which happened on two major roads which take the bulk of traffic into and away from the Hull and East Riding areas.

“These incidents were caused by drivers not paying attention to warning signage advising of both the Ouse Bridge on the M62 and the Humber Bridge being closed to high sided vehicles. Ignoring these warning signs is an offence and drivers choosing to do this can face a court summons for driving without due care and attention along with any other offences they may be sighted for at the time of being stopped.

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“The first incident, a lorry losing its load west bound at the Ouse Bridge on the M62 resulted in the closure of the west bound carriageway which was later compounded by the total closure of the Humber Bridge for a couple of hours while the second incident in which a long wheelbase van was literally blown over was cleared.

“Both Highways Agency recovery operations were greatly hindered by the high winds on both bridges as the safety of those involved in clearing such incidents is clearly very important and this resulted in major delays across the area and a great deal of frustration for everyone who was stuck in the traffic jams.

“We are investigating both incidents in order to identify any offences and take appropriate action against those involved and we hope this highlights the dangers of ignoring warning signs under such circumstances. In this case, two incidents which could have been avoided had the drivers taken notice of the signage resulted in major delays across the area and hampered a lot of drivers in the process.”