Hinkley Point: Bus crash road 'was gritted night before accident'

The bus was carrying 70 Hinkley Point C workers

The road on which a bus flipped over with 70 people on board had been gritted the night before the accident, the council has said.

The bus was carrying workers to the Hinkley Point C site and overturned on the A39 near Cannington at around 06:00 GMT on Tuesday.

There were no fatalities, although some passengers required hospital treatment.

The road may have been icy, despite being treated, due to recent heavy rain fall, Somerset County Council said.

Portfolio holder for economic development, planning and transportation, councillor Mike Rigby, said: "I've lived here for 30 years and there's an awful lot of ice around. I'm not sure I have seen this much before."

Mr Rigby said this was down to the fact there had been so much rain in the first few weeks of the year.

"It is standing on the roads still and there is not much we can do about that with the quantity there is," he said.

Councillor Mike Rigby urged motorists to be careful

The council said it had 23 gritting lorries that were out all night before the crash trying to prepare the roads.

But Mr Rigby warned that gritting salt was "not magic dust" and urged motorists to drive carefully.

Referring to the A39, he said: "We gritted it the night before but (the grit) doesn't always do what it needs to for long enough because of the fact we've got quite a lot of water on the roads."

Avon and Somerset Police initially declared a major incident in response to the bus crash, although its status was downgraded shortly after noon on Tuesday.

The incident also involved a motorbike, the force said.

The road reopened at around 18:00 GMT on the same day.