Person taken to hospital as multi-vehicle crash causes traffic disruption

A man has been taken to hospital after a multi-vehicle collision on the A40 west of Carmarthen

Drivers were forced to park their cars in a field after a serious crash in Carmarthenshire caused gridlock on a busy main road and adjoining country lanes.

A large emergency services response was sent to a section of the A40 between Carmarthen and St Clears late on Thursday afternoon following a serious multi-vehicle collision. Police, fire crews, paramedics and a Wales Air Ambulance crew were all called to the dual carriageway, which is the main transport route heading into Carmarthenshire from Pembrokeshire.

One person was medically trapped and removed from one of the vehicles by firefighters from Carmarthen, who arrived at the scene at around 4.10pm on Thursday. Meanwhile, a Wales Air Ambulance helicopter arrived at the scene shortly after 4.30pm. Stay informed on Carms news by signing up to our newsletter here.

Police have confirmed that a man was taken to hospital but no further information has been released regarding the severity of any injuries sustained.

Both lanes of the dual carriageway were shut in both directions following the crash – which happened between Bancyfelin and Llanllwch – before one lane on each side was reopened on Thursday evening.

The crash caused considerable tailbacks on the A40 itself and on nearby country lanes, which many motorists had decided to use as a diversion. However, those country lanes soon became gridlocked too with traffic involving cars and larger vehicles coming to a standstill.

In an attempt to alleviate the situation, many motorists turned into a field north of the A40 so that congestion on a narrow road being used as a diversion towards Carmarthen could become clear.

A spokeswoman for Dyfed-Powys Police said: “We received a report of a five-vehicle collision on the A40 between Carmarthen and St Clears at around 4:10pm on Thursday, July 24.

“The incident caused traffic delays until the cars were recovered, debris was cleared, and emergency services completed their medical checks at the scene. One person was taken to hospital. The road reopened at around 6:15pm.”

The A40 between Carmarthen and St Clears has become notorious for crashes and has unfortunately seen a number of fatal incidents in recent years.

Just hours after Thursday’s crash, a section of the dual carriageway was again closed due to a collision on Friday morning, reopening shortly before 11am.

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