THE A39 was closed for several hours on Sunday afternoon (April 26) after a Hinkley Point C bus was in collision with a car on a roundabout in New Road, on the edge of Cannington.

It was the third serious crash in three years involving the white double decker buses provided by Somerset Passenger Solutions to carry workers to and from the Hinkley nuclear power station construction site near Stogursey.

In 2023, more than 50 workers were hurt when a Hinkley bus overturned in a collision with a motorcyclist on the A39 just outside Bridgwater.

A ‘major incident’ was declared, triggering a multi-agency emergency response, and the crash was eventually put down to the icy conditions on the road.

Last October, three people were injured when one of the buses crashed into a tree in Monkton Heathfield, near Taunton, while taking workers to the site at about 4 am.

A major incident was declared this morning after a double-decker bus carrying 70 workers to Hinkley Point C overturned on the A39 near Bridgwater. No-one died in the incident but multiple people have been injured. Emergency services, including an air ambulance, attended the A39 Quantock Road, near Cannington, at around 6am this morning (17 January). Bridgwater, Somerset. 17 January 2023.
A major incident was declared in January, 2023, when a double-decker bus carrying 70 workers to Hinkley Point C overturned on the A39 near Bridgwater. (Tom Wren SWNS)

Sunday’s incident saw a person trapped in the car involved in the collision who had to be freed by firefighters before being taken by ambulance to Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton.

A Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue (DSFR) spokesperson said: “Crews released the casualty using cutting gear and they were then handed over to ambulance crews on scene.

“No persons were injured on the bus.

“The police were also in attendance.”

Two fire engines and a heavy rescue unit were sent to the scene from Taunton and Burnham on Sea Fire Stations.

South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust sent two double-crewed land ambulances, a critical care car, and an operations officer to the scene.

The crash happened shortly before 4 pm and caused delays of up to an hour for motorists, and it was nearly 7 pm before it was reopened by Avon and Somerset Police.