Gloucestershire emergency services simulate motorway crash

The exercise took place at the Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh

Around 100 members of the emergency services have recreated a major incident for training purposes.

Gloucestershire police, fire and ambulance services staged a motorway crash involving 17 vehicles. Their aim was to rescue 28 casualties.

The training event was held at the Fire Service College in Moreton-in-Marsh.

Deputy chief fire officer Nathaniel Hooton said attendees aimed to simulate the response to an incident on the M5, which posed a "significant risk".

The exercise simulated a major motorway crash

Mr Hooton, from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, said: "One of the main points today is about learning, and making sure we're doing the things right that we are supposed to be doing.

"We practise a lot, we train a lot, and this gives us an opportunity in a realistic situation, with our partners, to ensure that if we did ever have a major incident like this, we could respond in the right way to save life, protect the environment and local properties."

Members of the British Red Cross, Severn Area Rescue Association, Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service and the Casualty Union, which provides actors for training exercises, were also in attendance.