Crash shuts N80 Laois Offaly road near Portlaoise as busy bank holiday begins
Gardaí confirm two vehicle collision
A crash has forced the closure of the busy N80 on the Mountmellick side of Portlaoise as the Bank Holiday weekend gets underway.
Motorists were being diverted off the main road between Laois and Offaly after the collision which took place around 6pm on Friday, January 31.
Emergency services were on the scene of the incident. The extent of the injuries to the occupants of the van and car involved was not known but it is not believed to be a fatal incident.
Motorists are being diverted away from the scene via the Kyletalesha Landfill turn off.
The crash is the second major incident of the day on national roads through Laois. A truck carrying wood through Abbeyleix shed its load during the day blocking the N77 in the process. WATCH HERE.
A crash on a Carlow stretch of the busy N80 left two people dead in the early hours of Friday.
Gardaí in Laois and around the country have ramped up their road safety operation ahead of the St Brigid's Bank Holiday weekend.
The operation, aimed at reducing the number of fatalities and serious injuries on the county's roads, will remain in place until 7am on Tuesday, February 4.