M48 Severn Bridge incident: Man arrested on suspicion of drug-driving
Police said they were called to a single-vehicle collision on the westbound carriageway between junction 1 for Aust and junction 2 for Chepstow[1] at around 2.13pm on Monday, April 27. A van was reported to have hit the central barrier, leading to lane closures and delays for drivers using the bridge. A force spokesperson said a man in his 50s was arrested at the scene on suspicion of driving while unfit through drugs.
He was taken to hospital to be checked over and was later de-arrested pending the outcome of further test results. Enquiries into the circumstances of the crash are continuing. South Western Ambulance Service said it sent a double-crewed land ambulance and a hazardous area response team to the scene following a 999 call at 2.26pm.
One patient was taken by land ambulance to Southmead Hospital. National Highways said lane two on the westbound M48 was closed after the collision because of debris on the carriageway and damage to the central reservation barrier. The vehicle was recovered and the road fully reopened by around 3.45pm, but motorists were warned to expect residual congestion.
Traffic monitors earlier reported all lanes being temporarily stopped, with queues building between the M4 junction 21 interchange and junction 2 for the A466 Wye Valley Link Road.
Police are asking anyone who saw the collision, or who was driving on that stretch of the M48 around the time of the incident and has dashcam footage, to contact them.