Travel chaos after tanker overturns and spills 20,000 litres of milk over M6
The M6 motorway has been partially reopened today after a milk truck overturned, injuring two people and causing travel chaos.
Lancashire Police said a tanker travelling northbound on the M6, the largest motorway in the UK, slammed with the central reservation at around 7am.
This flipped the vehicle onto its side on the southbound carriageway, bringing traffic to a standstill for two hours.
A man and a woman, the driver and a passenger, were taken to hospital.
Photographs from the scene show around 20,000 litres of milk, as well as diesel, covering both carriageways.
The vehicle’s roof can be seen crumbled and caved in.
Officers shut the M6 in both directions between junction 31 and junction 33 northbound and junction 31 and junction 32 southbound near Lancaster.
Diversions were put in place, with motorists warned to brace themselves for hour-long delays.
But the police said at around 4:50pm that the M6, which passes Coventry, Birmingham, Stafford, Wolverhampton and Stoke-on-Trent, has been re-opened.
‘A large quantity of milk and diesel spilled onto the carriageway causing it to be closed,’ the force said.
‘The road was closed for some time today but has now reopened.’
They warned, however, that ‘traffic is expected to be slow moving and congested for some time’.
‘So please avoid the area where possible,’ the force said.
According to National Highways, the M6 northbound carriageway has reopened with a lane four closure.
The southbound carriageway remains closed between J32 and J31 near Lancaster.
The link road from the M55 eastbound to M6 J32 southbound is also shut.
The agency said: ‘This incident has resulted in an extensive diesel spillage on the southbound carriageway.
‘Recovery are currently on scene and have righted the vehicle and are in the process of removing the vehicle from scene.’
An incident alert along the M6 southbound exit slip at junction J21 is still active, with ‘severe delays’ of up to two hours expected.
‘Normal traffic conditions are expected between 7pm and 7:15pm on 2 July 2023,’ National Highways said.
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