A multi-vehicle collision that caused lengthy delays and road closures on Gloucester’s A417 was attributed to ‘anti-social driving’, Gloucestershire Police have confirmed.
The crash occurred on Wednesday, June 4, at approximately 5:15 pm near the Air Balloon Roundabout in Birdlip. The road was shut in both directions by 6 pm as emergency crews attended the scene.
According to traffic monitoring site Inrix: “A417 in both directions closed, slow traffic caused by multi-vehicle accident and oil spillage from A46 Shurdington Road (Brockworth) to A436 (Air Balloon Roundabout, Birdlip).”
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Gloucestershire Police described the incident initially as a five-car pile-up, but investigation revealed it stemmed from one driver dangerously navigating the roundabout in the wrong direction.
A police spokesperson explained: “We responded to reports around 5 pm of a five-car crash at the Air Balloon Roundabout. It was determined that one driver was driving counter to traffic around the roundabout while other drivers observed. The at-fault driver failed to brake, resulting in a rear-end collision involving several vehicles.”
Emergency services, including ambulance and fire crews, attended promptly. Although a nurse was present on scene, no injuries were reported.
Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service also provided details: “At 5:23 pm, we were called by ambulance service regarding a collision on the A417 near the Air Balloon Roundabout. One fire crew from Gloucester South attended. The vehicles were secured by disconnecting their batteries. Two adult males were uninjured at the scene. The fire crew left the site at 6:02 pm.”
As of 7:35 pm, the eastbound carriageway remained closed to allow for vehicle recovery and oil spillage cleanup, causing continued traffic disruption in the area.