LIVE: A66 closed for 'several days' as crane needed to lift 40

The load fell from the truck between Cargo Fleet Lane and North Ormesby in Middlesbrough

The A66 westbound has been closed after a huge pipe fell from the back of a lorry in Middlesbrough.

Police have shut part of the major Teesside route between Cargo Fleet Lane and North Ormesby after the red metal pipe fell into the road leaving craters in its wake. Motorists have been advised to avoid the area.

A Cleveland Police spokesperson said: "The A66 westbound is closed between Cargo Fleet Lane and North Ormesby in Middlesbrough. Please avoid the area and use alternative routes."

Follow below for updates

Part of the A66 remains closed on Thursday as work continues to remove a huge industrial pipe dropped from a lorry.

A Middlesbrough Council spokesman said:

This is a complex operation and this section of the westbound carriageway of the A66 is therefore likely to be closed for a number of days.

A crane will be used to lift the section of pipe, before repairs can be carried out to the carriageway.

Motorists are advised to avoid the area where possible until further notice, and we apologise for any inconvenience.

In an update provided by Cleveland Police this evening, the force has confirmed the A66 will remain closed for 'several days'.

A spokesperson said:

The A66 westbound between Cargo Fleet Lane and North Ormesby will remain closed for several days after a large concrete pipe fell onto the road from a lorry, causing extensive damage.

Diversions are in place.

Please plan an alternative route.

The road currently remains closed. Traffic service Inrix reports:

A66 Westbound closed, slow traffic due to emergency repairs from Cargo Fleet Interchange to Middlehaven Interchange. Following a shed load of concrete (metal pipe) which has damaged the road.

You can read the full story on this incident so far here:

'Dropped something?': Huge 20-metre pipe tumbles from lorry onto A66 leaving trail of destruction

Traffic site Inrix: "A66 Westbound closed, slow traffic due to emergency repairs from Cargo Fleet Interchange to Middlehaven Interchange. Following a shed load of concrete which has damaged the road."

Middlesbrough Council previously said that a "lengthy closure" is likely.

Here's a new angle of the incident taken from a passerby on the A66.

Middlesbrough Council has provided an up-close look at the huge pipe laying on the major route.

A crane will be required to lift the section of pipe.

AA Traffic News is reporting that the road remains closed. Here is the traffic situation:

Middlesbrough Councilh has confirmed that the pipe is 20m long and has a 1.5-diameter.

It was spilled from a lorry just past the Shepherdson Way junction, between North Ormesby and Cineworld.

A Middlesbrough Council spokesman said:

“This is likely to be a lengthy closure as a crane will be required to lift the section of pipe, and repairs will need to be carried out to the carriageway.

“Where possible we would advise motorists to avoid the area until further notice, and we apologise for any inconvenience.”

Cleveland Police has confirmed there are no injuries as a result of the incident.

As the road has been damaged, it is not currently known how long it will be closed for.

AA Traffic News said: "Severe delays of 14 minutes on A66 Westbound between B1513 Old Station Road and A172. Average speed five mph."

Police have cordoned off the road at the Borough Road bridge over the A66 with cones - and traffic is being diverted onto Borough Road from the westbound direction.

Workmen are currently at the scene as emergency repairs get underway following the incident.

Here is an image showing the huge pipe in the A66.

Tony Hawkridge passed in his van and took a video - here's another selection of images from the video of the incident

These pictures are screengrabs from a video showing damage to the road and the pipe as a driver passed.

AA Traffic News is showing some slow traffic in the area of the incident.

Traffic site Inrix said: "A66 Westbound closed, queueing traffic due to emergency repairs from Borough Road (Middlehaven Interchange, North Ormesby) to Marton Road (Marton Road Interchange, Middlesbrough)."

Welcome to our live blog on this incident.

Police have closed the A66 westbound after concrete fell into the road from a lorry and caused damage. This took place between Cargo Fleet Lane and North Ormesby. Motorists have been advised to avoid the area.