Rush hour chaos as five cars crash on busy Coastal Road in Ainsdale

Drivers faced traffic chaos this morning after five cars crashed on the busy Coastal Road in Ainsdale.

The pile-up happened just before 7.30am on Pinfold Bridge - the bridge which runs over the Merseyrail train line between the Formby bypass and Pontin’s in Ainsdale,

Traffic was this morning being diverted through Ainsdale village while the cars were removed from the road.

It is understood that a Toyota Yaris and a Volkswagen Bora collided causing three other cars to be struck.

One motorist, who was driving to work in Liverpool, passed the scene.

He said: “It must have happened seconds before I got there. As the road curved round on to the bridge, there were five cars all facing different directions with their hazard lights on.

“There was a Yaris in the middle of the road which was badly damaged and its airbags had been set off. All the people had managed to get out of the cars and were stood on the roadside.

“Those in smaller cars were able to navigate their way around but the larger cars had to turn around and head back towards Ainsdale.

“The tarmac between Woodvale lights and the bridge was stripped yesterday by the council to be resurfaced. The speed limit was reduced to 20mph and there are lots of signs warning of a skid risk. Maybe the rain has had something to do with it.”

The Coastal Road is one of the key routes out of Southport towards Liverpool and can become extremely busy during rush hour.

Police described the accident as “damage only”. A spokesman said a recovery vehicle was sent to the scene.