A fatal five-car collision occurred on the A5 in Shropshire at approximately 7:00 am, involving a lorry and four cars. Tragically, a man in his 30s, a passenger in one of the cars, was pronounced dead at the scene despite receiving CPR from bystanders and fire personnel followed by advanced life support from ambulance staff. Four other individuals were injured in the crash. Two passengers from the same car as the deceased were taken to hospitals; one with non-life-threatening injuries to Royal Stoke University Hospital, and the other, along with the driver, to Princess Royal Hospital with minor injuries. The driver of a second car sustained potentially serious injuries and was transported to Royal Shrewsbury Hospital. A man has been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving. The A5, a major route between Shrewsbury and Telford, is expected to remain closed until the following day due to the severity of the incident and ongoing investigation.
Several other traffic incidents impacted travel across the UK on January 13, 2025. A crash involving a lorry on the A303 near Basingstoke led to the closure of the road in both directions between the M3 and A34. The incident occurred around 2:30 pm on the westbound lane, and the closure was expected to remain in place for a significant period while emergency services attended the scene. On the M1, an incident between Junction 4 (Elstree) and Junction 5 (Watford) caused the motorway to close in both directions, resulting in significant delays for motorists. The closure began around 2:20 pm, with diversions in place. Earlier in the day, a jack-knifed lorry blocked three lanes of the M20 in Kent following a collision with a bridge, but the motorway was reopened earlier than the anticipated 3:00 pm closure.
Rail travel also faced disruptions throughout the day. A person was struck by a train between Haslemere and Havant, leading to the closure of all lines between London Waterloo and Havant, Portsmouth Harbour, Fareham, and Southampton Central. Significant delays and cancellations were reported, with disruption anticipated until noon. A signalling fault at Ipswich caused delays of up to 45 minutes on Greater Anglia services between London Liverpool Street, Ipswich, Norwich, Felixstowe, Cambridge, Lowestoft, and Peterborough, with disruptions expected until 4:15 pm. A faulty level crossing in Romsey resulted in 30-minute delays for Great Western Railway and South Western Railway services between Portsmouth Harbour, Salisbury, and Romsey until 5:00 pm. Furthermore, a passenger falling ill on a train at Welwyn Garden City led to Great Northern trains bypassing the station between London Kings Cross and Letchworth Garden City/Cambridge until 2:00 pm. A points failure between Basingstoke and Winchester caused delays and cancellations on South Western Railway services until 4:00 pm. Finally, all lines were blocked at Leamington Spa due to a signalling system fault, impacting Chiltern Railways, CrossCountry, and West Midlands Railway services until approximately 9:00 am.
Additionally, several other incidents contributed to travel disruptions. A substantial spillage on the M61 southbound near Bolton, resulting from an earlier crash, required emergency resurfacing and caused delays of up to 30 minutes. Minor delays were reported on the Elizabeth Line between Abbey Wood and Paddington due to a faulty train at Whitechapel. The Jubilee line experienced severe delays due to a fire alert at Willesden Green and Canary Wharf. London Tramlink also faced severe delays due to a broken-down bus blocking the track at Lebanon Road. The Piccadilly line remained closed between Rayners Lane and Uxbridge with minor delays elsewhere due to ongoing issues related to leaf fall damage. A fault on a train between Barking and Upminster caused delays of up to 35 minutes on c2c services, with further delays of up to 20 minutes across the entire c2c network.
The day’s events highlight the various factors that can disrupt transportation networks, from major accidents like the fatal crash on the A5 to technical faults and unforeseen circumstances. The incidents caused widespread delays and inconvenience for travelers across multiple modes of transport, emphasizing the importance of robust infrastructure and emergency response systems. The range of incidents, from road closures and rail disruptions to relatively minor delays, underscores the interconnectedness of transportation systems and the cascading effects that even localized issues can have on broader travel networks.
The news updates also included a report of a pedestrian fatality in a lorry crash on the M6 the previous day around 3:00 pm. The incident involved an air ambulance transporting the injured pedestrian to the hospital, and the motorway was closed for over seven hours between Standish and Leyland. Furthermore, a woman was arrested on suspicion of being drunk and disorderly at Liverpool Airport after an incident involving alleged verbal aggression towards Border Force officers. She was also arrested on suspicion of using threatening/abusive/insulting words/behaviour and released under investigation. These incidents, while unrelated to the day’s traffic disruptions, illustrate the range of events that emergency services and transportation authorities must address.
