A31 road closure: Lorry will be recovered overnight

The incident took place at 10.13am on Friday with the lorry overturned on the A31 at Merley Bird roundabout.

Police, ambulance and fire services were called to the scene. 

Initially the road was closed between Canford Bottom and Lake Gates roundabout.

4 - 13 - X6 - Due to an overturned lorry between Lake Gates and Canford Bottom the A31 is closed. This is causing severe delays to our services around Wimborne and Ferndown as traffic seeks alternative routes around the closure. Pls use the web to track your bus in real time ^JB

— morebus (@Morebusco) June 24, 2022

National Highways advised drivers to avoid the area completely, warning of long delays and a prolonged road closure.

Morebus have tweeted to say the partial road closure is causing delays for them as well.

The westbound carriageway was reopened just after lunch to allow traffic to move through, but the lorry was not expected to be recovered until after 9pm.

RECAP: A31 partially reopens after lorry overturns but it won't be recovered until tonight

This was later updated by National Highways to be overnight.

#Dorset the #A31 eastbound between the #B3078 #Wimborne & #B3073 #LittleCanford has reopened. The overturned vehicle remains in situ at the #MerleyRoundabout with traffic being managed past the scene. Recovery is arranged to take place overnight. Please approach with caution. pic.twitter.com/e14bMLpvtv

— National Highways: South-West (@HighwaysSWEST) June 24, 2022

TA spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire Service said they were also dealing with a diesel spillage.

A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) said: “We were called at 10.12hrs to a road traffic incident on the A31 near Wimborne.

"Resources we sent included an operations officer, two double-crewed land ambulances and a critical care car. We conveyed one patient by land ambulance to Poole Hospital”.