logo
Major road closed for hours after serious crash

Major road closed for hours after serious crash

Metroa day ago

The A14 has closed in both directions after a serious crash in Cambridgeshire.
Drivers face long delays on the main route connecting Kettering, Thrapston and Huntingdon after a collision.
The crash happened at about 2.20am between J13 (Thrapston) and J22 (Brampton), and the A-road has been closed since for an investigation.
National Highways said the smash involved one car.
Motorists were warned of 30-minute delays on approach as the rush hour gets underway. Traffic queues this morning are snaking back to J23 (A1198).
Local village roads could become congested as the A14 normally takes the brunt of traffic between Thrapston and Huntingdon.
National Highways said: 'Emergency services including Cambridgeshire Police are in attendance.
'National Highways contractors will also be assisting with traffic management.
'Due to the nature of the incident, the road is expected to be closed for a significant length of time, this is to allow for Police collision investigation works to take place.'
Cambridgeshire Constabulary said: 'Please be aware of road closures on A14 between junctions to Catworth and Spaldwick in both directions, due to an ongoing incident. More Trending
'Please find alternative routes.'
Some drivers were caught within the road closure for more than two hours while the emergency services responded.
Traffic was released westbound at about 5am, National Highways said.
Metro contacted the emergency services for a comment.
Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.
For more stories like this, check our news page.
Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.
MORE: I tried out every Londoner's worst nightmare and spoke to other commuters
MORE: Cap on bus fares to stay in place until 2027, Rachel Reeves announces
MORE: Passengers stuck on flight to nowhere for 32 hours because of bad wind

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Motorway closures up a FIFTH last year causing travel misery for millions - these junctions were shut most often
Motorway closures up a FIFTH last year causing travel misery for millions - these junctions were shut most often

Daily Mail​

time2 hours ago

  • Daily Mail​

Motorway closures up a FIFTH last year causing travel misery for millions - these junctions were shut most often

Almost 70 billion vehicle miles of traffic are carried on motorways in Britain annually. And yet 'M' road closures have risen 18 per cent in a year, causing delays, headaches and utter chaos for thousands of motorists every day, new research from Co-op Insurance reveals. Data from National Highways - the Government-owned company responsible for England's motorway network - obtained using a Freedom of Information request highlighted that the number of closures increased to more than 6,870 last year. Incidents where there was a total closure of both carriageways, grinding the entire stretch of trunk road to a halt, rose by 14 per cent with just over 280 shutdowns recorded. The worst affected roads have also been named and shamed, with drivers using parts of the A1M and M6 facing the most disruption. It comes after This is Money reported at the end of May that another 'major concern' has been raised about British motorways, after smart motorway breakdowns were revealed to be nearly three times higher than conventional motorways. MOST CLOSED MOTORWAY JUNCTIONS IN 2024 Rank Junction Location Direction Total number of road closures Region 1 A1M J63 Northbound 127 North East 2 M53 J8 Northbound 99 North West 3 M6 J21/J21a Northbound 72 North West 4 M621 J7 Southbound 56 Yorkshire and Humber 5 M621 M1/J7 Eastbound 55 Yorkshire and Humber 6 M62 J37/38 Eastbound 52 Yorkshire and Humber 7 M621 J27/1 Eastbound 52 Yorkshire and Humber 8 M25 J28/27 Anti-clockwise 50 South East 9 M53 J12/11 Northbound 47 North West 10 M3 J5/4A Eastbound 46 South East Source - Co-op Insurance FOI request to National Highways The FOI by Co-op Insurance found that it was bad news for frequent commuters through County Durham last year, as the A1M at junction 63 northbound at Chester-le-Street was closed for most of the 12 months, making it the stretch of M-road that was off limits most in 2024. Drivers were rerouted a shocking 127 times – at least once every three days. The other roads with the poorest closure records were the M53 at Junction 8 northbound in Ellesmere Port and the M6 between Junction 21 and 21a in Warrington. Notably, four out of the top 10 junction locations with the highest number of road closures last year were in Yorkshire, with three on the M621 in Leeds. Elsewhere, three of the top 10 were in Cheshire, with two on the M53. This year, the M6 between Junction 6 and Junction 7 near Birmingham is the stretch of road to avoid like the plague as it has seen the most motorway road closures. Last month a another FOI submitted to National Highway by the AA found 56 per cent of breakdowns logged on England's motorways last year happened on smart sections. This is despite the fact that these roads only making up a fifth of the nation's total motorway network and there haven't been any new installations in the last two years after the Government cancelled construction of new stretches on safety fears. Thirteen per cent of the nation's 1,900 miles of motorway network 'smart' stretches without a hard shoulder at any time, motorists risk being stranded without a safe place to pull off the road if their car suffers a mechanical issue. MOST CLOSED MOTORWAY JUNCTIONS IN 2025 (1 JANUARY - 30 APRIL) Rank Junction Location Direction Total number of road closures Region 1 M6 J6/7 Northbound 29 West Midlands 2 A1M J37/38 Northbound 24 Yorkshire and Humber 3 M1 J24/23a Southbound 22 East Midlands 4 M5 J25/26 Southbound 20 South West 5 M180 J4/5 Eastbound 20 Yorkshire and Humber 6 M69 J2/1 Westbound 19 East/West Midlands 7 M180 J5/4 Westbound 19 Yorkshire and Humber 8 M5 AFTER J1 Southbound 18 West Midlands 9 M62 J36/37 Eastbound 18 Yorkshire and Humber 10 M25 J24/25 Clockwise 18 South East Source - Co-op Insurance FOI request to National Highways Cost of car repairs are rising due to potholes It's not just closures and congestion that's grinding Britain to a halt though: the state of the roads is so bad that repairs costs have gone through the roof, leaving owners with huge bills. On Tuesday we reported how the average repair bill associated with pothole damage to vehicles is £320, according to calculations by road safety organisation IAM RoadSmart. However, if that sounds expensive, other drivers were forced to stump up more than three times that amount to repair or replaced damaged tyres, suspension components and steering parts. Some five per cent say they paid more than £1,000 getting their motors fixed after driving through a pothole during the 12-month period. The poll of almost 2,000 motorists found that a fifth had been left no option but to pay for pothole repairs in 2024.

2025 Lucid Air Touring Review: The Closest Thing to EV Perfection
2025 Lucid Air Touring Review: The Closest Thing to EV Perfection

Auto Blog

time4 hours ago

  • Auto Blog

2025 Lucid Air Touring Review: The Closest Thing to EV Perfection

I'm not an EV enthusiast by any stretch, but if I were to own one, I wouldn't look any further than a Lucid Air. How does one define 'perfect'? What's the automotive equivalent of perfection? That's as loaded a question as a cannon during the Civil War. The perfect car is the one that does everything you need it to for a price you can afford, and that differs from person to person. However, I do believe there is a claim to be made that perfect cars exist within their respective segments. They are those that best characterize their segments and fulfill the requirements associated with said segment. Think of the way the Mazda Miata is the perfect roadster (fight me about it), and you'll get what I mean. I'm here to make the case that the Lucid Air is just about the perfect EV sedan. Yes, it's pricey, and yes, it's fancy, but it does everything it needs to do so well that it's hard to find a fault. Here, let me try to convince you. 2025 Lucid Air Touring — Source: Ryan Brackin Ladies and gentlemen, the Lucid Air Touring The Lucid Air that I was fortunate enough to call mine for a week was the Touring, the mid-level trim that nestles between the Pure and the Grand Touring. The Sapphire is such a different beast that I consider it an outlier within its class, and thus I'll exclude it from this comparison. 2025 Lucid Air Touring — Source: Ryan Brackin The Touring starts at $78,900 and sports a dual-motor all-wheel drive with a 93 kWh battery. That combination makes 620 hp, 738 lb-ft of torque, and can scoot from 0-60 mph in 3.4 seconds. The Air Touring claims an EPA-estimated range of 425 miles, and thanks to its 250 kW DC charging capability, it can add 200 miles in 16 minutes at an adequate fast charger. That range figure meant that in my week of driving it, I put around 300 miles on the car and only had to charge once. Get an Air, and range anxiety is largely a thing of the past. That's, of course, if you can find a fast charger, own a house with a garage, or have ample time for a slow charger. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. Also, with that kind of power, it should go without saying that acceleration is nothing but effortless, especially in its 'Sprint' drive mode. This really is the kind of car where you need to pay attention to the speedometer and not get pulled over, because never has 90 mph felt so much like 65 mph. Its all-wheel drive system and low stance make turning feel like you're on rails at any speed, and I never felt like I was in danger of spinning out or losing control. 2025 Lucid Air Touring — Source: Ryan Brackin If you're just looking to cruise or get a taste of speed without going all out, the 'Smooth' and 'Swift' drive modes can give you each of those, respectively, but don't expect the Lucid Air to be anything but fast regardless of drive mode. It's quick and it can charge fast, but can it haul stuff? Well, that depends on your configuration, and this can be seen as the Air's first downside. With the seats up, the trunk has a capacity of 22.1 cubic feet that expands to 64.8 cubic feet with the seats down. The frunk does add 10 cubic feet, but it's not the biggest storage capacity on the market by any means. Shout-out to the fact that both the trunk and frunk can be opened and closed from the touchscreen, though, meaning that if you have someone else in the car, loading cargo is a hands-off experience. 2025 Lucid Air Touring — Source: Ryan Brackin That exterior design The Lucid Air is a damn sexy car, and while my girlfriend might strongly disagree, it's a hill I will die on. Its low-slung proportions and long curves make it a sleek machine in any scenario, something that's only further accentuated by the long, slim headlights and taillights. While the Infinite Black Metallic color isn't the one I'd choose if I were buying one, a Lucid Air in the two-tone Zenith Red Metallic with the silver roof and glass canopy would steal my heart. Honorable mentions go to the accent strip on the frunk that houses the lit-up Lucid emblem, the second Lucid emblem cleverly placed at the corners of the taillights, and the trim-specific badge at the base of the C-pillars. My Air Touring was also optioned with the Stealth Appearance package, which blacks out some of the shiny exterior finishes for an extra $1,750. As someone who likes to show off and as a big proponent of shiny stuff, I'd opt to keep that off my options list, but I see how some may dig the look. The 20' Aero Lite Stealth wheels were also a big plus, but with a $1,750 price tag, I'd personally stick with the base 19' Aero Range wheels as they're still unique and don't look too small on the car. 2025 Lucid Air Touring 2025 Lucid Air Touring Oh, and that cabin I'm a sucker for different materials and colors, and much like the Cadillac Optiq, the Lucid Air's interior doesn't disappoint my tastes. Lucid names all of their interior color schemes after places on the West Coast, like Mojave, Santa Cruz, and Tahoe. My particular Air Touring had the optional $3,000 Tahoe Leather interior, which provided a gorgeous contrasting brown finish to the black exterior. I could do without the optional Alcantara headliner, and would much prefer the glass canopy in its place, but the gray textile finish on the seatbacks, lower door panels, and lower dashboard was such a breath of fresh air from the plastic or vinyl finishes in other cars. It's yet another reminder that sometimes all you need to be different is to include a touch of grandpa's sweater in your cabin, and it'll be a welcome escape. The rest of the interior was equally as nice, with the door handle release 'knobs' in the door grab being one of my absolute favorite touches in any car ever. The optional power & rear window sunshades were snazzy to have, and I can see how they would be very useful when the California sun really starts beating down. 2025 Lucid Air Touring 2025 Lucid Air Touring As tech-forward as you'd expect Given its price range and the company it hails from, one would expect the Lucid Air to be chock-full of technology and touchscreens. One would be right. The main screens comprise the digital cluster and the main infotainment screen, which combined make up the 34-inch 'Glass Cockpit Display Screen.' The main infotainment screen displays functions like your apps, music, navigation, and phone calls. The 'Retractable Pilot Screen' below it handles additional features, such as AC, drive modes, seat controls, and charging settings, among others. Some of the more important functions, like AC and the trunk, frunk, and glovebox release, are permanently on the pilot screen or easily accessible from a pull-down menu like an Android's notification center. It's a nice touch, and when combined with the physical piano keys below for the AC controls and the volume cylinder wheel, it makes the car feel less overwhelming and annoying to control. And yes, that pilot screen retracts into the dashboard with a simple swipe, revealing a rather sizable storage cubby behind it. It's an incredibly clever function, and a useful one too. The $2,900 Surreal Sound Pro system features 21 speakers and is an absolute must if you're looking at buying one of these. It's an utterly tremendous unit that remains clear and distortion-free even at its maximum volume. Any song I'd play through it would turn the interior into an opera house, with rich bass, clear highs, and crisp mids. I, along with every passenger in the car, could not get enough of it, and we constantly found ourselves switching between various songs to test out the system's capabilities. On one last tech-related note, the $3,000 Comfort & Convenience Package adds the aforementioned window shades, alongside four-zone climate control, a power frunk, heated wipers, steering wheel & seats, as well as soft-close doors. Take that Rolls-Royce. 2025 Lucid Air Touring — Source: Ryan Brackin Lucid's safety suite is an impressive one Lucid's standard DreamDrive Premium suite includes your run-of-the-mill systems like blind spot warning, emergency braking, front/rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure protection, adaptive cruise control, and so on. Some of its snazzier features, though, include automatic park in & out, and a terrific 3D surround view camera that makes parking in any spot a relative breeze. If that's not quite enough for your needs, you can also upgrade to DreamDrive Pro in the future for $9,000. According to Lucid, that will include an Advanced Driver Assistance System for driving and parking, curb rash alert, LiDAR, and Drive Assist with Active Lane Centering. We'll have to see how those function when they actually go live. 2025 Lucid Air Touring — Source: Ryan Brackin It's not perfect, but boy is it close My list of complaints has to start with the lack of Android Auto. From my research, that's largely the fault of Google's slow approval process, but for a car that's been on the market since 2021, that's starting to become inexcusable. That gets even more inexcusable when you consider that Apple CarPlay is already here. The one upside is that you can link your Spotify account directly to the Lucid and natively play your songs without needing your phone, but that quickly becomes useless with its spotty connection. I'm not sure if this was a software bug in my review car or if Lucid dislikes Sacramento as much as I do, but I would often be hit with a 'Server Connection Error' mid-song and be forced to switch to Bluetooth on the fly to continue listening. It's by no means a deal breaker, but it's incredibly annoying when it constantly happens. The A-pillars are also some of the biggest I've seen, and make turns a bit of an awkward endeavor, having to bend forward to see around them. I was also not the biggest fan of the way the digital cluster handled the battery percentage and miles left. I could only choose between one or the other, and I feel that having both on screen would give drivers a better idea of how much electricity they use while driving and how full their battery truly is. I don't want to do the math to figure out what 62% capacity is. I want to see the number. 2025 Lucid Air Touring Final thoughts Needless to say, I was not a happy camper when it came time to give the Lucid Air Touring back at the end of the week. I couldn't help but feel spoiled by its sheer power, its luxury, its technology, and dashing good looks. As equipped, the sticker price of my review unit came out to $92,800, but without the optional wheels and Stealth Appearance package, you'd be looking at around $89,300. That is A LOT of money, there is no arguing that. But you get so much for your money that I truly feel as if there is no competition here. A 2025 Mercedes-Benz S500 4MATIC, the car that some argue is the standard of luxury, starts at $117,750. To me, that car doesn't hold a candle to the Lucid Air. If I were given the choice of buying either one, I would pick the Lucid 11 times out of 10. The company put so much effort into every little detail to make itself stand out in the relatively crowded segment of EV luxury sedans, and it shows in everything from the color schemes, to the material choices, to the design elements and the overall driving experience. I'm an automotive enthusiast through and through, and I adore the smell of gas in the morning and the rumble of a combustion engine. If I had to make the switch, though, or if I wanted an electric commuter that I knew was both practical and fun, the Lucid Air would be my first, second, and third choice. See Ryan Brackin's (@ryanbrackinphoto) full gallery from the shoot here 2025 Lucid Air Touring About the Author Gabriel Ionica View Profile

Top 10 cities where Brits are checking if they're owed in car finance scandal
Top 10 cities where Brits are checking if they're owed in car finance scandal

Daily Mirror

time5 hours ago

  • Daily Mirror

Top 10 cities where Brits are checking if they're owed in car finance scandal

Brits who bought a car on finance could be owed a payout** after it has emerged that lenders were paying undisclosed "secret" commissions to car dealerships. This meant that car dealers could determine the interest rates on finance deals, with an incentive to offer higher interest because it earned them a higher commission. It means that Brits could have been signing up for finance agreements with interest rates that were higher than necessary. According to claims management firm My Claim Group, that could mean some Brits who bought a vehicle before 28 January 2021 could be due payouts of up to £4,000** on average. Now, the firm has revealed the top 10 cities where they're seeing the most Brits checking to see if they're due a payout - and you can see if yours has made the cut. The top 10 cities are: The car finance scandal kicked off in January 2021, when the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) stepped in and prohibited discretionary commission models to protect consumers. However, further investigations found that the problem has been going on as early as 2007, so there's been a further examination of past lending activities. By October 2024, the Court of Appeal declared that the non-disclosure of commissions on car loans was illegal. The financial fallout for lenders has been colossal, prompting the government to step in, with UK Chancellor Rachel Reeves voicing concerns about the wider economic implications. However, claims management firms like My Claim Group are urging consumers to lodge complaints. If you think the scandal may have impacted you, visit the My Claim Group website to find out more information and begin the easy process to discover whether you are owed a payout**. My Claim Group is a trading name of the Claims Protection Agency Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA No. 836470). *My Claim Group will undertake a free check at no cost to you on your behalf to assess if you may have a vehicle finance claim. *** If you proceed, our panel solicitors work on a no win, no fee basis (subject to exclusions, for full details click on: Solicitor fees are up to 36% inc VAT. We receive a fee after a successful payout or a referral fee from your solicitor and this does not affect the compensation you will receive. You do not need to use a claims management company to make a claim; you can do this yourself for free by contacting the car dealership or finance provider and if that is not successful you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service. **See link for the FCA reference, solicitor fee tables & average valuations:

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store