Nineteen people, including nine schoolchildren, sustained injuries after a coach and a bus crashed on an icy slip road near Reading. The collision occurred at the Sutton Seeds Roundabout in Berkshire on Wednesday, 7 January 2026.
Emergency Response to the Chaotic Scene
The South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) confirmed its crews were dispatched to the scene following reports of a serious collision. A school coach and a bus had crashed on the busy slip road, leading to multiple casualties.
Paramedics assessed all those involved, with the team leader noting that road conditions were "very icy" at the location. The impact was severe enough to cause the bus's engine to burst into flames, requiring firefighters to remain on site for over two hours to make the area safe.
Breakdown of Injuries and Treatment
Of the 19 people hurt, the injured included the coach driver and eight adults who were travelling on the bus. Two patients required further hospital treatment and were transported to the Royal Berkshire Hospital.
Three children and three adults were treated for minor injuries at the scene, while the remaining ten patients were assessed and discharged by paramedics without needing hospital admission. SCAS also revealed that the same slip road had witnessed another collision between two cars earlier that morning, though no injuries were reported from that earlier incident.
A Day of Dangerous Road Conditions
The crash in Reading happened on the same day that a separate bus incident occurred in Kent. In Ashford, a bus carrying school children slid on black ice and ended up in a ditch off a road at Chilmington Green.
Fortunately, no injuries were reported in the Kent incident, despite officers and paramedics rushing to the site. The two unrelated events highlight the widespread hazardous driving conditions caused by icy weather across parts of the UK.
The emergency services have reiterated warnings for drivers to exercise extreme caution during periods of cold weather, particularly on slip roads and roundabouts where ice can form rapidly.
