A VEHICLE hit a gas main in a rush hour road crash.

The A137 Harwich Road between Ardleigh and Lawford closed for an hour and a half after the single vehicle accident on Thursday, February 21.

Police made a 50 meter exclusion zone around Foxwood Close, Foxash for safety.

The driver, from Brantham, was making his way to work along the A137 Harwich Road between Ardleigh and Lawford, when his silver Fiat Punto was struck by a blue VW Golf.

He has appealed for witnesses to get in touch with police after claiming the Golf driver was travelling at speed.

He said: “I’m a good judge of speed and they must have been doing 85mph.

“The Golf tried to overtake me on a left hand bend.

“As it did so, it struck my off-side rear tyre quite hard and just managed to scrape past.”

The motorist said the road was very quiet at the time, but the driver of a 4x4 travelling in the same direction, may have seen the other vehicle.

The ambulance service sent two rapid responders, an ambulance and a hazardous area response team vehicle. There were no casualties treated.

The gas was isolated by the gas board and the road was reopened at 9am.

Anyone with information should call Stanway police on 101.