Roads to remain closed this evening – Copdock

The A12 and the Copdock roundabout are to remain closed this evening following a serious road traffic collision that occurred this morning.

Emergency services were called to the Copdock roundabout just after 4:30am today, Sunday 21 April, following reports that a fuel tanker travelling on the northbound A12 had overturned on the slip road to the roundabout.

The driver of the tanker, a man aged in his 50s, sadly died at the scene.

A major incident was declared and Police, Suffolk Fire and Rescue, National Highways, the Environment Agency and the East of England ambulance service were all in attendance to the incident, which is ongoing.

The A12 remains closed in both directions between J32B Capel St Mary and J55 of the A14, the Copdock Interchange; the Copdock roundabout is also fully closed.

The tanker was carrying more than 38,000 litres of fuel, and early enquiries could not confirm whether any fuel had spilled onto the road.

Superintendent Jonathan Chapman said: “This is first and foremost a tragic incident in which a man has sadly died and his family are being supported by specialist trained liaison officers. 

“The complexities of the incident required a multi-agency operation, with public safety at the heart of our decision making.

“We had concerns that fuel was leaking underneath the tanker, both as a fire risk as well as environmental impact, and risk assessments and safety measures were carried out, with contingency plans also made with our partners.

“At approximately 3pm, specialist equipment arrived at the scene to decant the fuel from the tanker and remove it from the scene. This has now been completed and we have stood down the major incident response.

“The collision investigation has been completed and recovery of the vehicle will be underway this evening.

“At this time we anticipate the road to reopen tomorrow morning (Monday 22 April), expected to be open in the early hours.

“I would like to thank the public for their continued patience and understanding.”

Previous release - https://www.suffolk.police.uk/news/suffolk/news/news/2024/april/man-dies-following-serious-collision-at-copdock---ipswich/