M4 traffic news: Car bursts into flames as woman taken to hospital

The serious crash, which saw the air ambulance land on the carriageway, closed the motorway in both directions in Wiltshire, causing traffic to back up in both directions.

The road was closed for several hours between Junction 18 (Bath) and Junction 17 (Chippenham), with one woman taken to Swindon’s Great Western Hospital by ambulance crews.

Emergency services including an air ambulance attended the scene at around 10.15pm.

Images of the scene show an air ambulance landing as a cloud of smoke ascends from the overturned car.

A lorry can also be seen on the east side of the M4, blocking oncoming traffic. Both sides of the road were cleared for emergency services to tend to those affected.

Cars piled up on both sides of the roads as the collision brought them to a halt and they wait for it to be cleared.

Both sides of the motorway were closed as a result of the incident, but the crash took place on the eastbound side of the road.

The westbound side of the road was reopened at around 11.15pm and was followed by the eastbound side of the road at 12.45am.

Wiltshire Police released a statement the following day which said: “Emergency services attended a two-vehicle collision on the eastbound carriageway of the M4 near Leigh Delamere services.

"A full closure of the M4 was put in place between junctions 17 and 18 and a woman was taken to GWH. The road reopened at 12.45am.”

Two Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service crews attended from Chippenham as well as one from Malmesbury, Corsham and Calne.

There were also two Avon Fire and Rescue Service crews from Kingswood as well as one from Yate and Avonmouth.

A spokesperson for DWFRS said: “One car, which was on its roof, was well alight and one breathing apparatus wearer used one hose reel jet to extinguish the fire.

"Crews remained on scene to support the other emergency services; our stop was at 11.03pm and all appliances had returned to home station before midnight.”

A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said: “We were called at 22:07 to a road traffic collision on the M4 between J17 and J18.

"We sent two units from our hazard area response team, an air ambulance, two rapid response vehicles and a double-crewed land ambulance.

"We conveyed one patient by land to Great Western Hospital.”