A SECTION of a busy dual carriageway was closed for much of yesterday after 40 tonnes of machinery fell off a low-loader vehicle.

The stone crusher was shed as the lorry emerged from the A1(M) interchange roundabout on to the A690, at Carrville, near Durham, at 7am.

It came to rest in the eastbound carriageway of the A690, the main Durham to Sunderland route, gouging a strip off the road surface across both lanes.

The eastbound lane was closed from the Carrville roundabout, and traffic was diverted.

Delays developed for westbound vehicles, with queues stretching back to Rainton Gate during the rush hour.

A large crane was used to remove the stone crusher, and repairs were made to the road surface. The road was fully reopened at 6.30pm last night.