A30 closed both ways after crash near Yarcombe causes queues

The A30 near Yarcombe reopened in both directions at about 4.15pm on Monday, August 31, after a crash closed the road from the Taunton turn-off to the A303. Queueing traffic built for hours on the A30 and A303, and fire crews freed one person trapped in a two-vehicle collision.

Drivers travelling through East Devon and into Somerset faced a sudden standstill after the crash shut a key stretch of the A30. Traffic monitoring software INRIX flagged the dual closure from early afternoon, and satellite maps showed heavy congestion spilling onto the A303 toward Newcott.

For anyone planning routes or commute timing, major trunk-road shutdowns are a reminder that unexpected delays can reshape a working day. Readers who track travel costs may also find related guidance in our Wealth Hacks & Passive Income hub.

Key Takeaways

• The A30 was closed in both directions near Yarcombe after a crash at the turn-off toward the A303 on Monday, August 31.
• INRIX reported queueing traffic from the Taunton turn-off to the A303; the road reopened around 4.15pm with traffic easing.
• Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service confirmed a two-vehicle collision with one person trapped; crews used cutting equipment to free the casualty.
• Fire crews from Honiton and Chard attended; delays also affected the A303 in Somerset while the closure remained in place.
• Motorists were advised to avoid the A30 through Yarcombe until the scene was cleared.

What happened on the A30 near Yarcombe?

According to Devon Live, the incident took place on the turn-off to the A303 and led to hours of queueing traffic on Monday afternoon.

INRIX confirmed at 2.15pm that the A30 was closed in both directions, with queueing traffic due to an accident from the Taunton turn-off to the A303. Local reporting described heavy congestion on both the A30 and the A303 leading up toward Newcott.

Chard & Ilminster News reported that the crash happened near Yarcombe at around 1.18pm on Monday, August 31. A person became trapped in a two-vehicle collision on the A30 near Chard, prompting an emergency response.

A spokesman for Devon and Somerset Fire and Rescue Service said crews confirmed a two-vehicle collision with one person still trapped inside one of the vehicles. Crews used cutting equipment to release the casualty. Fire crews from Honiton and Chard Fire Stations attended the scene.

While the response was under way, a road closure remained in place and caused delays along the A30 and the A303 in Somerset from the Taunton turn-off, matching the INRIX location description used by Devon Live.

How long was the A30 closed and when did traffic ease?

Devon Live’s live coverage tracked the disruption through the afternoon. At around 2.57pm, drivers were advised to seek alternative routes and to avoid the A30 through Yarcombe until further notice.

Updates through the early afternoon described heavy traffic on sections leading north from Honiton and on roads leading away from Yarcombe. Satellite imagery cited by Devon Live showed green for little or no traffic, yellow for moderate traffic, and red for heavy congestion across the affected corridor.

By about 3.01pm, traffic appeared to have eased in Yarcombe village itself, with only mild congestion on the A30 leading north out of the village. The A30 leading west out of Yarcombe remained heavily congested, and INRIX still reported a both-directions closure with queueing traffic due to the accident.

Later snapshots showed mixed conditions: some easing west of Yarcombe around 3.20pm, then heavier traffic returning on that stretch by roughly 3.45pm. A 4pm update said part of the A30 was still closed in both directions.

At approximately 4.15pm, the A30 reopened in both directions. INRIX confirmed the road had re-opened, traffic was easing, and the accident had been cleared from the Taunton turn-off to the A303. Devon Live closed its live blog after that all-clear.

In practical terms, many drivers faced roughly two to three hours of disruption between the mid-afternoon closure reports and the reopening, with knock-on queues on approach roads even as some local segments briefly improved.

Why does an A30 shutdown matter for drivers in Devon and Somerset?

The A30 is a primary east–west route linking communities across Devon and into Somerset. When both directions close near Yarcombe at the A303 junction area, traffic has limited space to disperse, which helps explain the heavy congestion reported on the A30 and A303 toward Newcott.

Honiton-facing approaches also clogged, according to Devon Live’s traffic images from mid-afternoon. That pattern is typical when a trunk road is blocked: traffic backs up onto nearby villages and connecting A-roads until the carriageway is clear.

Emergency access was the priority. Freeing a trapped casualty with cutting equipment takes time and requires a secure scene, which is why full closures can last well into the afternoon even when congestion begins to ease in nearby streets.

For regular users of this corridor, the episode underlines the value of checking live traffic tools before setting out, allowing extra time, and having a secondary route ready when INRIX or local alerts flag a dual-direction A30 closure.

Businesses that rely on road freight or client visits across the Devon–Somerset boundary can lose productive hours when a junction-area crash locks both directions. Flexible schedules and remote fallback options can reduce the sting of sudden trunk-road delays—another reason our Wealth Hacks & Passive Income coverage often pairs timing tips with practical money sense.

What should motorists do after an A30 crash closure like this?

Based on advice issued during this incident, motorists should avoid the affected stretch until official monitoring confirms reopening. During Monday’s disruption, drivers were told to avoid the A30 through Yarcombe until further notice.

Watch for confirmation from traffic monitoring services such as INRIX, and cross-check local news updates. Devon Live’s timeline showed conditions could improve on one spur while another remained heavily congested, so a single green segment on a map does not always mean the full corridor is clear.

Give emergency services room to work. Fire crews from Honiton and Chard were on scene for a confirmed two-vehicle collision involving a trapped person, and cutting gear requires a controlled working area.

Once INRIX reports that the accident is cleared and both directions are open—as happened around 4.15pm here—expect residual slow-moving traffic as queued vehicles clear through Yarcombe, Honiton approaches, and the A303 toward Newcott.

If you photographed the scene only when it was safe to do so, local outlets such as Devon Live invited public tips via social channels during the live updates. Never stop in a live lane or exit a vehicle onto a high-speed carriageway to capture images.

Anyone regularly using the A30 near the A303 turn-off should treat multi-hour closures as a realistic risk. Building buffer time into journeys remains the simplest way to absorb the kind of disruption reported on August 31.

Coverage of this A30 crash and reopening draws on Devon Live’s afternoon live blog and Chard & Ilminster News reporting on the fire service rescue near Chard and Yarcombe. Together they show a clear sequence: collision and entrapment around 1.18pm, dual carriageway closure with heavy queues through the afternoon, and both-directions reopening near 4.15pm after the accident was cleared.