Major motorway closed after hazardous chemicals spilled in tanker crash
A major highway was closed on Tuesday morning after a tanker crashed into a car, causing major delays for motorists.
National Highways said the southbound M40 line remained closed between J8A at Oxford and J6 at Watlington after a large spill of bitumen from a tanker damaged the road surface.
National Highways has warned commuters to expect delays on the roads as work continues to clean up the spill from the crash, which occurred at 7.45pm on Monday night.
“There is approximately 3 miles of traffic congestion as we approach closure, adding approximately half an hour to normal journey times,” it said Tuesday morning.
Emergency services responded to the scene at night, where no one was injured, and worked with expert teams to control the leak in the tanker. A reserve tanker and specialist rescue team then arrived at the scene of the accident at around 3.40am to transfer the remaining cargo of bitumen.
Roads will remain closed as the spilled liquid continues to be pumped and the affected lanes are planned and resurfaced.
“Unfortunately, the backup tanker was unable to pump the contents of the stricken tanker and therefore rescue cannot be carried out at this time. Plans are ongoing to find another tanker to continue the pumping operation,” National Highways said.
“Our engineers have assessed the road surface and confirmed there is significant damage. A simple clean-up is not sufficient as the bitumen on the carriageway has hardened, the affected lanes will need to be planned and resurfaced. This work can only be done safely when fully closed.”
National Highways has warned travelers affected by the road closures to allow extra journey time and advised road users to exit the M40 at J8A onto the A418/A40.
