RUSH hour commuters faced serious delays getting to and from Cinderford last Thursday (December 18) as two accidents caused tailbacks.

The A48 was closed for several hours while police investigated a serious collision near Westbury-on-Severn around 4.30pm. At the same time, a two car crash on Littledean Hill caused an hour-long queue.

The incident at Littledean involved two local women, believed to be in their 60s, who received treatment at the scene.

A Gloucestershire Police spokesman said: "Traffic was backing up at the scene after a two car collision at 4.20pm. The driver of the Nissan Micra was from Drybrook while the driver of the black Ford Focus was from Westbury-on-Severn. The women didn't have any serious injuries but paramedics attended the scene.

"The road was closed for around an hour."

Police are now appealing for information following the collision on the A48 after a car and van collided.

The 87-year-old Lydney woman sustained serious, but not life threatening, injuries, after colliding with an oncoming van driving towards Gloucester.

She was taken to Southmead Hospital, where she remains, while the 26-year-old male van driver, believed to be from Durham, near Newcastle, sustained minor injuries.

A Cinderford motorist was trying to get to Gloucester at the time, and said: "It took a good 20 minutes to get from Elton Corner to the top of Wintle's Hill, when I saw a ton of blue lights. So I turned around and went through the lanes towards Mitcheldean but even that was really slow. I went along the A40 to Gloucester where I had to drop my car off to my husband and, instead of catching the bus back home, I caught the train to Lydney instead."

Any witnesses can call Gloucester Police on 101, quoting incident number 326 of December 18.