How we can help in Colchester
Vehicle recovery in Colchester
The 1982 A12 bypass is five junctions long here. Junction 25 at Marks Tey is where the A120 comes in from Braintree and Stansted. Junction 26 serves Stanway on the A1124. Junction 27 is Colchester Central on the A133. Junction 28 is Colchester North on the A134, and Junction 29, the Ardleigh Crown, is where the A120 carries on east towards Clacton and Harwich. Tell us the last one you passed and which way you were heading.
Junction 28 is the busy one on event days. The JobServe Community Stadium, Colchester United's ground at Cuckoo Farm, sits beside it on United Way with a 600-space car park, and a park and ride opened in 2015 on the opposite side of the A12. Concerts there can draw up to 20,000 people, so the roads around it fill quickly.
At the western end, Stanway has become Colchester's retail edge. The Tollgate Centre and Stane Park hold B&Q, Sainsbury's and Marks & Spencer, and Colchester Zoo is close by. Large open car parks like these are where people come back to a car that won't start.
East of the A12, the A120 bypasses Elmstead, Wix, Ramsey and Dovercourt before the A136 Parkeston bypass takes you to Harwich International Port. Drivers heading for a ferry sometimes break down on that run with a sailing to catch.
In the city itself, Colchester Hospital, the station on the main line (Colchester North), the Garrison and the University of Essex at Wivenhoe Park all have large car parks where cars sit for hours. The old centre sits inside the Roman walls and its streets are narrow, so an exact address or a map pin helps the driver plan where to stop. A recovered car can go to a Colchester garage, home, or anywhere in Essex or Suffolk, priced first.
Roads & areas we cover around Colchester
Why Colchester drivers choose BlueLine
Recovering something other than a car
Different vehicles need different trucks and different handling. These explain how each one is done.
Colchester recovery & roadside FAQs
I've broken down on the A120 on the way to Harwich for a ferry. Can you help?
Yes. Tell us where you are on the A120, whether you've passed Wix or Ramsey, and what time you sail. Stop well off the carriageway and get everyone out on the verge side. If a jump start or fuel will get you moving, that's the quickest answer; otherwise the car goes on the truck and we agree where it's taken.
My car is stuck in the stadium car park after a Colchester United game. What now?
Tell us you're at the JobServe Community Stadium, which part of the car park you're in, and the make and model. Traffic around Junction 28 is heavy after the final whistle, so it helps to know if you can wait until it clears.
Can you jump start my car at Tollgate or Stane Park?
Usually. Tell us which store you're parked nearest and whether it's a hybrid or has stop-start. If the battery is past saving, we can arrange a new one fitted in the space.
Can you take my car from Colchester to a dealer in Ipswich or Chelmsford?
Yes. Give us the destination when you call and the agreed price covers the whole run along the A12.
Is there a call-out fee on top of the recovery price?
No. You're given one figure for the job before the truck is booked, and that's the figure you pay.