Motorists travelling on a major North East route on Friday (September 16) had a near miss after a van travelling on a roundabout near Gateshead detached from its trailer, narrowly missing other drivers on the road. 

Emergency services were called to the Mill House Roundabout on the A1231 Sunderland Highway at around 9.45am, following reports of a one-vehicle collision. 

After officers from Northumbria Police arrived at the scene, they found a trailer and other items from the back of a van, which had collided with traffic lights.

Read more: LIVE: A1231 in Gateshead partly closed after lorry sheds its load - updates

Despite no one being injured in the collision, officers were required to close one lane of the A1231, which stayed closed until 12.45pm to allow Northumbria police officers and traffic agencies to clear up the debris. 

An industrial cleaner was also used to dispose of debris, while a truck arrived to clear the trailer away.  

Here is the aftermath of the crash:

A Northumbria Police spokesperson said: “Shortly before 9.45am today (Friday) police received a report of a one-vehicle collision on the A1231 at Mill House roundabout in Sunderland.

“It was reported that a van with a trailer had been travelling on the roundabout towards the A1231 when – for reasons to be established – it collided with a traffic light causing the trailer to land on its side.

And here is the clean up operation:

“Emergency services attended the scene where thankfully nobody was injured and one lane was blocked. The road has been since been cleared as of 1.30pm.”

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