Rush hour delays after crash near Royal Bolton Hospital

The two-car crash happened in Farnworth at 4.30pm this afternoon (April 17), blocking Bradford Road in both directions.

The incident closed the road for almost two hours and happened just before the junction with Minerva Road leading towards Royal Bolton Hospital.

There were reports that ambulances heading to the hospital were forced to turn around when they reached the junction, unable to get past the crash.

Ambulance crews were quickly on scene and checked-up on two men but no major injuries were reported.

The Bee Network said that buses on routes 22, 36 and 501 were affected with traffic diverted onto Bishops Road.

(Image: Phil Taylor)

A spokesperson for Greater Manchester Police (GMP) said: “Officers were called to a collision between two vehicles on Bradford Road, Farnworth at 4.30pm.

“The road is blocked from both directions.

“Ambulance is also at the scene seeing to two men, no major injuries have been reported at this time.”

Cllr Nadeem Ayub, of Farnworth North, warned drivers to avoid the area as it remained shut into the evening.

The Labour councillor said it was the second crash of the day and there have been calls for speed cameras to be installed.

He said: “The earlier one was due to the weather, it was a bit heavy, but this one is affecting road users at peak times.

“The earlier one was due to the weather, it was a bit heavy, but this one is affecting road users at peak times.

“Having two accidents is unusual, however, we do have problems on this road regarding speeding cars and we’ve considered speed cameras here.

“I would just tell people to avoid the area if they can at this moment in time.”

The road was cleared shortly after 6pm, with both cars taken away by recovery crews and traffic would soon return to normal.