DRIVERS are facing long delays after a two-lorry smash on the M4 this morning which left fuel spilled across the motorway.

Highways Agency contractors are assessing damage to the westbound carriageway, with two lanes remaining closed after the incident, which left one driver trapped in their cabin.

Emergency services were called at 9.14am to reports of a collision between two articulated lorries near Junction 15.

Wiltshire Police, South West Ambulance Service and Wiltshire Fire & Rescue and the Wiltshire Air Ambulance all attended the incident.

One of the heavy goods vehicles was found in the hard shoulder, with the other in lane one.

The ambulance service has reported one casualty with leg injuries, who was physically trapped and being freed by firefighters.

One of the HGVs has gone into the back of the other, and the trapped driver was in the second vehicle.


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Two fire crews are in attendance, with one from Swindon and the other from Stratton. There is also an emergency support unit from Chippenham at the scene, which provides heavier duty rescue kit for the extrication.

Police are also reporting cornflour or starch has been spread across the road as a result of the collision.

A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: “There are no time estimates for how long delays will last, but it might be a difficult recovery of the vehicles.

“We are looking at a couple of hours at least.”

A spokesman for South West Ambulance Service said: “We have got one male casualty. He’s got leg injuries and trapped in his truck. Fire are cutting him out.

“We are still on the scene, so he hasn’t gone to hospital yet, but it’s likely he will, though we don’t yet know how series those injuries are.”

A spokeswoman for Wiltshire Fire & Rescue said: "The cabin of the second lorry has hit the first vehicle hard and it has trapped the driver in.

"The extrication is still ongoing and we have not received the stop message on the incident yet. The front lorry was carrying a non-hazardous powder-based substance which has leaked onto the road.

"There has also been a leakage of 50-plus litres of fuel across the road from one of the vehicles.

"Environmental packs have been used to block the drains to stop either of the leaked substances getting in.

"The fact it's taken over an hour to free the man would suggest he's badly trapped."