Diesel spill cause chaos on the A50

A diesel spill on the A50 in Stoke caused massive delays for travellers last week after an HGV overturned on the road.

The HGV spilled around 500 litres of diesel onto the A50 at around 9:25am on Wednesday the 7th of December. The incident occurred at the junction with the A500 near to the Britannia Stadium and forced the road to be closed for around six hours while emergency crews dealt with the overturned vehicle and the diesel spill.

A Highways Agency spokesperson confirmed:

"An extensive clean-up operation was required after the police finished their investigations.

"It involved an HGV carrying a crane. It overturned on to its side, spilling its load, and the diesel tank was ruptured, spilling about 500 litres.

"After recovery of the HGV, the road was cleaned and swept and temporary repairs were carried out.

"The road is completely safe, but diesel can erode the Tarmac. The road will be resurfaced for the long time effects."

Crews used specialist spill absorbent materials to soak up the diesel spill from the road.