MOTORISTS are experiencing long delays this morning after a serious accident on the A419 near the motorway. 

It is thought a Royal Mail truck and articulated lorry collided on the southbound carriageway shortly after 6am, blocking one of the lanes and leading to the closure of the road.

Traffic trapped as a result of the closure was released by the police but the lanes remained closed for several hours as emergency crews worked to extract a casualty from one of the vehicles. 

All lanes were re-opened shortly before 9am but delays are expected to continue for some time yet. 

The driver of one of the lorries was injured in the crash and taken to the Great Western Hospital by ambulance.

A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service said: "We were called at 6.10am to a report of a road traffic collision involving two lorries.

"There was one casualty, a male with back and leg injuries.

"He was taken to Great Western Hospital by ambulance at 8.10am."

Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service also sent several appliances to the scene. 

A fire service spokesperson said: "We have now left the scene - a driver was extracted from the vehicle and taken by road ambulance to hospital.

"We deployed two pumps from Swindon, our main pump from Stratton and heavy rescue units from Swindon and Reading.

"Heavy rescue units were sent due to the nature of the vehicles involved."

Traffic conditions are worse than usual in Old Town this morning as drivers head towards Junction 16 of the M4 while queues area also reported in Stratton St Margaret.

Matt Clifton wrote on our Facebook page: "Total gridlock everywhere trying to get through Stratton and is just stationary traffic everywhere. Hope the people in the accident are okay though."