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Edinburgh Live
Edinburgh Live
National
Kris Gourlay

Edinburgh bypass: Motorists fume after 'five hours' of delays due to trailer fire

Edinburgh motorists have reportedly been left sitting in queues of up to five hours, following an earlier fire on the A720.

Earlier this afternoon, April 14, the busy Edinburgh bypass was closed both westbound and eastbound at Baberton following a lorry trailer catching fire near the Calder junction, as dramatic images of the blaze emerged.

Images from the scene showed huge clouds of black smoke billowing into the air, with Police Scotland even warning nearby residents in Wester Hailes and Sighthill to close their windows.

READ MORE: Edinburgh bypass closed in both directions as trailer bursts into flames

Luckily, there have been no injuries reported from the incident, but the westbound route remains closed this evening, sparking outrage and delays among commuters.

Traffic Scotland, who monitor delays and incidents all over the country, have been tweeting live updates to inform motorists who may be in the area, with their latest one coming in at 5:30pm, informing travellers of a potential 80-minute delay.

They tweeted: "UPDATE: A720 Westbound - Baberton closed, travel time of around 80 minutes from Gilmerton.

Huge tailbacks have been spotted as far back as Dreghorn as traffic is being directed up the Baberton slip road (Traffic Scotland)

"Eastbound has fully reopened. The westbound carriageway remains closed on the bypass. Avoid as there are lengthy delays in place."

The tweet was met with replies from several motorists who had been waiting hours due to the tailbacks, as uncertainty over the exact length of delays continues.

One user said: "We've been stuck in this for five hours. These repeated identical updates aren't acceptable. What actually is being done to open up the road? Is consideration being given to vulnerable people in vehicles?"

Another replied angrily: "Why the f*** are you telling folk it was a 90 minute delay, I've been stuck in this s*** show for three and a half hours."

One added: "Truck is on the Calder slip road, Why not reopen the bypass and allow all the traffic to move? It can then be closed tonight for recovery and any carriageway repairs needed."

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