Traffic came to a standstill along the M5 motorway near Burnham-On-Sea on Monday morning (February 25th) after an accident involving this tanker resulted in fuel being spilt over all three lanes.
The northbound carriageway was closed for several hours at junction 23 for Highbridge and long queues of traffic developed in the area following the 6am accident.
Police spokeswoman Jenny Bigwood told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “The lorry hit the central reservation, rupturing a fuel tank, and a Royal Mail van then also collided with the vehicle.”
She said the driver of the lorry had been unhurt in the accident, but an occupant of the van had suffered back injuries and was taken to hospital in an ambulance for treatment.
All three lanes of the motorway were not fully re-opened to traffic until 11am – some five hours after the initial accident.
Our photos show the lorry with the foam around it used to mop up the fuel which had leaked from the ruptured fuel tank (centre). The van involved is pictured above.
