A section of the A338 was closed for more than four hours last night after emergency services responded to a concern for welfare incident in Bournemouth.
Traffic on the Wessex Way came to a standstill at around 6pm when a man was seen on the wrong side of the Welcome to Bournemouth footbridge over the A338.
Police, fire and ambulance teams worked together to manage the situation and diverted traffic away from the area, with vehicles from the north routed via the hospital service road junction.
Bus company Morebus said: “Owing to a police incident, the Wessex Way is closed between Cooper Dean and Blackwater Bridge, causing gridlock further back on Wessex Way. X1, X2, X3 and X6 services are diverted via Christchurch Road to Iford and the hospital and will not run via Wessex Way.”
The person was safely led from the bridge shortly after 10pm and received support from emergency services.
A spokesperson confirmed at 10.30pm: “Following a concern for welfare incident at the Welcome to Bournemouth footbridge, which has come to a safe conclusion, all road closures have been lifted and the A338 is open again. We would like to thank motorists for their patience and understanding.”
It was the second welfare incident of the day in Bournemouth. Earlier that morning, Richmond Hill was closed after emergency services were called at around 10.11am following concerns for a woman on the roof of a building.
Officers spoke with the woman, who was brought to safety just after midday. The road was reopened once the situation was resolved and the woman received support at the scene.
Who are we? We're building a new independent free news source for BCP and east Dorset, with fewer ads, less clutter, and no filler articles. And we'd love your support. Please help us grow locally by letting your friends know about us on social media, and have a listen to Bournemouth One online and on DAB for all your local news, traffic, jobs, weather, coastal info and more.
Register below for free regular updates via email.