Both lanes of a stretch of the A11 at Thetford which was closed earlier today following a lorry crash have re-opened.

The crash, involving a large articulated lorry, happened on the Brandon Road roundabout shortly before 1am and left the southbound carriageway shut until around 5.20pm.

One lane had re-opened around an hour earlier.

A police spokesman said the lorry had overturned and shed its load of 25 gallons of chicken waste. A specialist team was sent from Croydon to clear up the mess from the road.

The operation was made more complicated because of the environmental risk from the spillage and because the vehicle was a dual fuel lorry which meant there was a risk from the natural gas stored inside.

The vehicle has now been removed.

The road was shut southbound from the Brandon Road roundabout to the B1106 junction at Elveden.

The northbound stretch was shut for a short period to allow a recovery vehicle to get in but this is also now open.

The police spokesman said the lorry driver was not believed to be seriously injured.

An ambulance crew attended and a 35-year-old man was taken to West Suffolk Hospital in Bury St Edmunds.

Two fire crews from Thetford also attended the scene.