MAN CUT FREE FROM M4 COLLISION
A MAN had to be cut from his vehicle after a crash on the M4 near Swansea in the early hours of Friday morning.
The motorway was completely shut between junction 44 at Llansamlet and junction 43 at Llandarcy for a time, and there were lane closures on both sides of the carriageway to allow for emergency repairs to the central barrier.
A spokesman from South Wales Police said the force attended a single vehicle collision on the westbound carriageway of the M4 shortly before 3.30am.
“The driver of a heavy goods vehicle, which collided with the central reservation between junction 43 and junction 44, was cut from his vehicle by the fire service and treated at the scene for minor injuries,” he said.
“Lane two of two on the westbound carriageway is likely to remain closed for several hours while repairs to the barrier are carried out. Some delays can be expected and motorists are advised to use alternative routes where possible.”
The emergency response and barrier repairs went on for several hours, with South Wales Police advising motorists to find “alternative routes where possible”.
Crews worked to reopen the road as quickly as possible with one lane westbound re-opening at around 5.15am, with one eastbound lane re-opening around two hours later.
Traffic on the A465 at Llandarcy and the A4230 through Skewen were very slow because of the delays on the M4, with temporary traffic lights due to gas mains work on the diversion route through Skewen, adding to the delays. First Cymru Buses tweeted: “Due to heavy congestion on the M4 around Swansea, all services heading into Swansea from Neath and Skewen are heavily delayed. Additionally, we expect delays on all other routes into Swansea as traffic finds alternative routes.”
The M4 re-opened fully shortly after 2pm.