Middlesbrough A66 closed after 65ft pipe falls from lorry

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Pipe on roadImage source, Middlesbrough Council
Image caption,

Middlesbrough Council said repairs would need to be carried out to the road

Drivers have been warned to avoid a road "until further notice" after a large pipe and debris fell from a lorry.

Middlesbrough Council said the A66 westbound between North Ormesby and Cargo Fleet Lane was closed.

The 20m (65ft) pipe and concrete fell on to the road, near Shepherdson Way, just before 13:25 BST.

A crane will need to remove the pipe and repairs will have to be completed, the council said.

Cleveland Police said they had been called to the scene, adding that drivers should use diversions.

Mary-Laure Readman, from Middlesbrough, told the BBC it appeared the pipe had left "craters" in the road.

She had been passing on the eastbound carriageway, which remains unaffected, and said she doubted the road would reopen tomorrow.

"You can't drive over it with a car, I'm in an SUV (sports utility vehicle) and wouldn't brave it", she said.

A council spokesperson said it was one of the "region's busiest routes" and was likely to be closed for some time, while the work took place.

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