Jams radiating from Caister following a three-car-collision on the bypass added up to two and half hours to a routine journey into Great Yarmouth on Wednesday morning.

Jams radiating from Caister following a three-car-collision on the bypass added up to two and half hours to a routine journey into Great Yarmouth on Wednesday morning.

Rush hour traffic came to a simmering standstill as icy conditions generated a flurry of accidents across the county - the one at Caister closing the road in both directions for almost three hours.

One of those involved in the Caister accident was Maritime Festival organiser and hotel owner Aileen Mobbs.

Her husband Nick said: “She was very, very lucky.”

Mrs Mobbs had been travelling towards Yarmouth on the bypass when she became aware of another vehicle crossing from the opposite carriageway and hurtling towards her. She luckily turned to the right and the vehicle hit her car on the offside - if she had turned left it would have hit the driver's side.

However, the vehicle following her then collided into the back of her car.

Mr Mobbs added: “She was shaken by the experience, but is okay.”

Police were called to the collision involving an Isuzu Rodeo four by four vehicle, a Citroen C1 and a BMW at around 8am.

The accident happened about 500m from the Yarmouth end and saw both carriageways shut so that recovery could retrieve a vehicle from the central reservation. Debris was said to be strewn across the road.

Meanwhile motorists cruising into work from the northern parishes were met with the dreaded sight of long tailbacks. Alternative routes through Caister and along Prince of Wales Road quickly became clogged as drivers tried to negotiate a quicker way.

Three fire crews from Yarmouth attended the scene and helped to make it safe, but no-one was trapped in the vehicles.

Two ambulances and a fast response vehicle also rushed to the scene. Three people described as “walking wounded” did not require hospital treatment.

Highways, having gritted the road the night before, were called out to do extra salting - the mix of freezing temperatures and heavy rain having left lingering ice patches.

Spokesman John Birchall, urged people to drive with suitable caution. “It is not that we had not treated the road but even where we have treated you can end up with icy puddles. If it is very cold the salt sometimes either does not work or is very slow to work. The lesson to be learned is that is that you still have to be very careful if you have to scrape your car in the morning. There is a chance of icy stretches still.”

A temperature of minus four was recorded in Ormesby on Wednesday morning at the time of the accident.

The northbound carriageway was opened by 10.20am and the entire road was reopened at 10.56am.