Ipswich: Lorry firm apologises for Orwell Bridge crash

Traffic on the Orwell Bridge in Suffolk was brought to a standstill after the crash on Tuesday morning

A lorry company has issued an apology after one of its drivers was involved in a crash that closed a major road.

Emergency services were called to the A14 Orwell Bridge in Suffolk at 11:20 BST on Tuesday after a crash involving a lorry and a car.

The eastbound carriageway remained shut throughout the night to allow repairs to the central reservation.

A spokesman for Collins Skip Hire apologised and thanked "kind drivers who stopped and assisted".

The bridge was closed for 90 minutes after the accident, causing heavy disruption into and out of Ipswich.

• Orwell Bridge partially shut after lorry crash

The speed limit along the stretch has been lowered to 40mph.

The eastbound carriageway was closed until Wednesday morning to allow repairs to the central reservation

The lorry firm's managing director Billy Richmond said he believed their "long-standing driver" was the only person involved in the crash and would remain in hospital overnight.

He said: "We can only apologise to the many people who experienced the disruption.

"We travel over the bridge innumerable times in the course of the year and appreciate the difficulties bridge closure presents.

"I also wish to thank all the services that attended the incident together with the invaluable air ambulance. We also appreciated some kind drivers who immediately stopped and assisted until the emergency services were able to arrive."

The Orwell Bridge - between junctions 56 and 57 of the A14 - is a major link between Felixstowe and the Midlands, and carries 60,000 vehicles a day.