Lucky escape for gritter lorry driver as icy roads cause havoc at weekend
THE driver of a gritting lorry has escaped injury after the truck toppled over into a field in treacherous driving conditions at the weekend.
The incident happened on Church Road just outside Ballynure in the early hours of Saturday. The road was closed for much of the day following the accident.
A local resident said the road was notorious for frost and ice and described it as being like a “glass bottle”.
“It is like Jack Frost arrived and there is black ice everywhere,” they said.
Police took to social media to warn motorists about the risk of black ice following the crash, which was among 16 road accidents reported in their Northern control area between 6.30am and 8.30am.
Larne and Newtownabbey were particularly bad, the PSNI said.
Freezing weather conditions also resulted in the closure of a main route in and out of Belfast for almost three hours on Saturday.
“Hazardous weather conditions resulted in the closure of the A8 road between Belfast and Larne on Saturday between 11am and 1.45pm,” the Department for Infrastructure said.
“The road was gritted twice before it was closed, once during the closure and again after it reopened. There have been no other issues with gritting that the department is aware of over the past two weeks.”
Meanwhile, an articulated lorry came within just a few feet of smashing through a house in Randalstown in the early hours of Saturday. A crash barrier prevented the cab and trailer from destroying the home on Blackthorn Way.There were no reports of any injuries.
Three more collisions occurred near Six Road Ends just outside Bangor, resulting in the road being closed for a short time.
Today is expected to be mainly dry with the best of any brightness through Antrim and Down, the Met Office said.
Low cloud and mist could become extensive at times, particularly through Fermanagh and Tyrone later in the day.
The top temperature is expected to be 11C.