MOTORISTS faced traffic chaos in Newport yesterday after a crash on the A467 left two people seriously injured and the road closed for several hours.

Emergency services were called to the northbound carriageway of the A467 between the Bassaleg and Morrisons’ roundabouts at around 11.45am after a collision between a Toyota Prius and a white and red articulated lorry. The 52- year-old lorry driver, from Nottingham, was arrested on suspicion of dangerous driving and was being questioned in custody last night.

A78-year-oldman and a 74- year-old woman, both from the Rogerstone area, suffered serious injuries and had to be cut from the wreckage of their car, which had left the road and tumbled down the embankment.

An Ambulance Service spokesman said an elderly man was taken to the Royal Gwent Hospital suffering from serious injuries along with the woman suffering from a head injury.

The road was closed for several hours while emergency services were at the scene and police diverted traffic along the B4591 through High Cross and Risca.

The closure caused traffic problems into the city centre as motorists tried to avoid the scene, with congestion hitting Fields Park Road, Risca Road, Bassaleg Road and High Cross Road.

Angela Lakey, owner of Dial-A-Car in Risca, said a 15-year-old girl had to wait an extra hour for her lift home from Bassaleg Comprehensive School after a driver got caught up in the chaos. But she said it would have been worse if news of the accident had not spread.

Mrs Lakey said: “We have done a couple of runs into the Royal Gwent but because we knew about it we used the back roads to High Cross and other routes instead.”

Geoff Phillips, of G&L taxis, had to take the mountain road from Risca to Machen and said traffic announcements made his job easier.

“It doesn’t take long to work out other routes, it’s just a bit inconvenient because when you have got the dual carriageway between Risca and Rogerstone there is a lot of build-up anyway, so it’s very difficult elsewhere because everyone’s doing the same thing.”

Police are appealing for anyone who sawthe vehicles before the collision or anyone who witnessed the incident to call 101.