Cars have skidded and careered off the road towards a river next to a beauty spot in Greater Manchester. Drivers faced treacherous and icy conditions near Daisy Nook Park, where two crashes were reported within minutes of each other on Monday evening (January 16).
Firefighters were called to the two incidents on a typically busy Stannybrook Road, in Oldham, which runs alongside Daisy Nook Park and beside the River Medlock, through to Failsworth.
Two cars crashed and careered off the road, down an embankment and towards the river. Just minutes later, as those involved were being escorted to safety, firefighters were called to a second crash further up the road, that left one car badly damaged after skidding on the ice.
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Drivers likened the road to an 'ice rink' on Monday night. It comes after snow fell across parts of the region as temperatures plummeted to -3C, with the Met Office issuing a yellow weather warning.
The occupants of all vehicles involved escaped without injuries, but emergency services remained along Stannybrook Road for a number of hours before the council were called out to grit the area.
There were numerous posts about Stannybrook Road shared to Facebook on Monday evening, where drivers said the road had become 'like an ice rink' as multiple crashes were reported after vehicles 'skidded' on 'black ice'. Some told the Manchester Evening News how they narrowly escaped an accident and described seeing cars that had swerved into the hedges beside the rivers' embankment.
Rachel Chandler was among those caught up in the congestion on Monday night. She told the Manchester Evening News: "There's water coming down the hill which doesn't help, so I slowed down because the road had a slight flood.
"Then, as I got to the bottom just before the ridiculously bad bend, my car started skidding. As I came down the hill there was a car in the wall and just before I hit ice I noticed a car in the bushes next to the river."
Thomas Smith was involved in a minor accident on the treacherous stretch on Monday, adding: "I noticed a car had gone off the road and into the trees. I then slowly went round the bend and my car just lost control. Two cars bumped into the back of me as well as result of the black ice."
A spokesperson for the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service said: "At 5.30 this afternoon firefighters from Hollins, Stalybridge, the Water Incident Unit from Heywood, and the Technical Rescue Unit from Leigh responded to a two-vehicle collision on Stannybrook Road in Failsworth. Two vehicles had left the road and ended down an embankment next to a stream.
"While firefighters were recovering all the involved people from the vehicles and leading them to safety with North West Ambulance Service colleagues, a second road traffic collision occurred nearby. The crew from Stalybridge went to assess the scene at the second RTC and found one damaged vehicle on a section of road that was very icy.
"There were no injuries and all occupants of the vehicle were able to leave of their own accord. Firefighters left both scenes after arranging for the local authority highways team to grit the roads in question."
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