Seven police officers were taken to hospital following a horror crash on the A1 this morning. Northumbria Police also revealed two people have been arrested.
The stretch of road was closed following what police have called a “multi-vehicle crash“, which took place at around 2.30am near Denton, Newcastle. Shocking pictures show four damaged marked police cars as well as an unmarked police car on its side. The black BMW on the scene, in front of the marked police cars, is believed to be a civilian car.
Northumbria Police has now confirmed an investigation is under way after their officers were involved in a collision during a pursuit. The force said specialist officers from the Roads Policing Unit were sent to the area and at 2.25am got behind a car, and a pursuit was authorised. At 2.27am the car and five police vehicles were involved in a collision on the A1 near the Derwent Haugh Road junction.
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Northumbria Police said seven officers were taken to hospital with non-life threatening injuries following this morning’s crash.
Four have subsequently been discharged, two of the remaining three are still there for observation and one is being treated for a leg injury.
National Highways has said the A1 is now open in both directions between J73 Swalwell and J75 Denton, Tyne and Wear.
This followed a closure of more than 12 hours which sparked major congestion on the Scotswood Road and other parts of the A1.
UPDATE:
The #A1 is now OPEN in both directions between J73 #Swalwell and J75 #Denton #TyneAndWear.
Thank you for your patience. pic.twitter.com/FbnOTubwmt
A police detection dog was sent to the scene of today’s crash as investigations continued today, with one pooch seen sniffing around a dark coloured BMW.
The vehicle was wedged between the marked police cars when the dog was deployed.
The latest pictures from the scene show police continuing with the cleanup, with a black BMW seen being loaded onto the back of a flatbed truck.
National Highways still expects the road is unlikely to be clear until around 7pm.
A man in his 20s has been arrested on suspicion of causing serious injury by dangerous driving.
A woman, also aged in her 20s, has been arrested on suspicion of aiding and abetting dangerous driving. Both remain in police custody at this time.
Police have called on members of the public to come forward in a major public appeal following news that two people were arrested after the crash.
Supt Michelle Caisley, from Northumbria Police, said: “Firstly, we want to wish all the officers who have been involved in the collision a full recovery. We would also like to thank all those who attended the scene, including our colleagues from Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service and the North East Ambulance Service.
“An investigation is under way to determine the full circumstances surrounding the incident and ask anyone with information that may assist us to come forward. We would also ask people to avoid speculation both online and in the community which could impact the investigation.
“We recognise this incident has caused significant delays and thank motorists for their patience. The road closure has been necessary in order for our collision investigation team to conduct their enquiries.”
Northumbria Police confirmed an investigation is under way after their officers were involved in a collision during a pursuit.
At about 2am, the force said officers attempted to stop a car in the Whickham area of Gateshead due to concerns “about the manner it was being driven”. The dark grey BMW M Sport was allegedly then driven off. It was later sighted in the Swalwell area. Specialist officers from the Force’s Roads Policing Unit were sent to the area and at 2.25am got behind the car before a pursuit was authorised.
At 2.27am the car and five police vehicles were involved in a collision on the A1 near the Derwent Haugh Road junction. Seven officers were taken to hospital, with what were described as non-life threatening injuries. Four have been discharged, two remain for observation and one is receiving treatment to a leg injury. Two occupants of the BMW were uninjured.
Northumbria Police has revealed in a major update on the crash that seven police officers were taken to hospital following this morning’s collision, and two people were arrested over the incident.
Police have been pictured at the scene of the crash bundling high-visibility uniforms into a clear plastic bag.
The scene follows reports that an officer was “seriously injured” following the smash.
The flatbed truck brought to the scene of the crash earlier has now been put to work removing the battered police cars from the road.
Residents living nearby the stretch of the A1 where the crash took place this morning have spoken out for the first time hours after the incident.
One local, who lived nearby but declined to be named, said: “We heard the bang just after 2am but we did not come out to see it. I assumed there had been a crash on the motorway.” Another woman said it had happened “in the middle of the night”. “I didn’t wake up, some of the neighbours heard it,” she said.
“Looking at the aftermath, there has clearly been a high speed collision.”
At least one officer involved in the crash is understood to have been seriously injured, the Mirror can report.
Police were said to have been in a high speed pursuit when the accident happened shortly before 2.30am today, with multiple marked – an one unmarked – police vehicles believed to have been involved.
Northumbria Police has declined to comment on the report of a serious injury resulting from the smash.
Highways England has said the section of the A1 shuttered following the crash today may not reopen until an hour after initially expected.
The organisation earlier said the area would clear at around 6pm, but now states this is expected “between 7.15pm and 7.30pm on April 9”.
The latest pictures from the scene on the A1 show that police hve started extracting pieces of wreckage following the crash, with a flatbed truck seen on standby this afternoon.
The closure on the A1 this morning has now lasted for a staggering 10 hours.
Police and ambulances arrived on the scene today at around 2.30am, and have since set up an investigation scene after ambulances evacuated five people to a local hospital. Highways England said the stretch of road will likely remain shuttered until well into the evening, likely past rush hour at around 5pm.
New close-up photos have shown evidence markers placed at the scene of this morning’s crash.
Police investigators have been working through the debris since arriving on the A1 and surveying the massive five-car collision which has shuttered much of the major road.
Great North Air Ambulance Service has revealed its teams took multiple patients to hospital after landing at the scene alongside emergency services this morning.
A spokesperson for the service said: “Our critical care team was activated at 2.38am to reports of a road traffic collision on the A1 near Denton. We had a paramedic and doctor respond on a critical care car and they arrived on scene at 2.51am. Our team worked alongside the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) to assess and treat multiple patients.
“The patients were taken to hospital by a NEAS road crew.”
The five people confirmed to have been taken via ambulance from the scene of the A1 crash are being treated in a trauma unit at a Newcastle hospital.
The North East Ambulance Service previously said it had dispatched multiple teams to assist at the accident scene, and received assistance from the Great North Air Ambulance Service.
The A1 crash site is not expected to be completely clear for several more hours, with Highways England warning the scene will remain active until between 6pm and 6.15pm today.
The service said that “normal traffic conditions” would likely resume around 5.30pm or 5.45pm today. Delays in the area are currently setting motorists back around 50 minutes.
A new close-up photo from the scene of the crash shows just how severe some of the damage was.
One marked police car can be seen with its roof blown completely from its main chassis, and its doors strewn around nearby.
The new drone shots shared this morning show the extent of the strewn debris, with pieces of car flung far beyond the upturned 4×4 in the immediate crash area.
New pictures have captured the scene of the devastating crash this morning from above – showing the A1 all but deserted as investigators work.
Highways England has warned that the road will remain shut until “later this afternoon” in its latest update in a further blow for motorists.
Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service confirmed in a statement this morning that its crews remained at the crash scene for more than an hour.
A spokesperson said: “We can confirm that in the early hours of Wednesday morning (9th April) five fire appliances and two Officers attended a road traffic collision in Newcastle.
“Our control room team received an emergency call from Northumbria Police for assistance at 2.29 a.m., and crews from Gosforth, Newcastle Central, Swalwell and West Denton Community Fire Stations were dispatched to a location on the A1 northbound near to Denton Burn. Our Firefighters assisted blue light colleagues from Northumbia Police and North East Ambulance Service during the multiple-vehicle incident.
“Crews left the scene at 3.51 am.”
New pictures coming through this morning show police investigators on the scene, with officers placing evidence number cards as they meticulously comb through the twisted wreckage of the vehicles.
A new video of the crash has shown the dramatic scene from another angle, with police seen working around the battered cars on a traffic-free road while road assistance vehicles stand by.
Charts have captured the massive extent of the congestion this morning.
New maps from the AA show the road closure stretching from Denton to Swalwell, with congestion spreading well into the south.
This morning’s car crash involved five police cars, some marked and some unmarked.
Four of the vehicles are marked while a black car pictured on its side is unmarked. Shocking pictures show one police car without a roof and three of its doors, while others have smashed windows while debris is scattered across all three lanes.
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