The Strangest Motorway Spillages

As we drive along the motorways, we see lorries of all shapes and sizes going about delivery work. But how often do we know what it is that is being delivered? Unfortunately, every now and then, a spillage will occur. This can be highly dangerous, not only due to the initial risk to the driver himself, but also in terms of traffic congestion, and residue on the road. We've unearthed some of the strangest substances that have been spilled from lorries over the years. Fortunately, nobody was hurt as a result of any of the following spillages but the message is, as always, to drive safely.

Peas Please

Do you ever have trouble picking up that last uncooperative pea on your plate? Imagine the clean-up operation when 18 tons of peas spilled from a lorry onto a busy motorway following a collision. Traffic stood still for close to twelve hours while emergency services tried to clear up the millions of peas that were rolling around the roadside.

Irony on the Ice

There is nothing worse than going out to your car in the morning and realising that you have run out of de-icer. Imagine your consternation as having scraped all the ice off your windscreen you set off on your journey only to meet traffic caused by an overturned tanker that was delivering calcium magnesium acetate, the main ingredient of de-icer. The delivery work driver was reportedly attempting to leave the motorway, when the tanker slipped on a patch of black ice. The lane affected by the spillage was closed for four hours, adding to the congestion caused by the cold weather.

Follow the Red Brick Road

We've all heard of Dorothy following the yellow brick road, and though it would certainly make delivery work more exciting were our roads to be multi-coloured, we tend to expect the roads we drive along to be black. However, when a truck spilled red dye over all three lanes of a motorway, the road was quickly turned red. The motorway was closed whilst workers tried to remove the dye using sanders, but to no avail, and as soon as the dye had dried, the road was reopened.

An En-egg-matic Spillage

When piles of an unidentified yellow substance were spotted by the side of the road, authorities were immediately concerned that there had been a biological spillage. The motorway was closed off so that samples of the powder could be taken. However, the road was soon reopened, as it was established that the powder was in fact egg gluten, often used as a feed additive. The origins of the spillage still remain a mystery, with no driver ever owning up the fact that his delivery work had gone slightly awry.

Boots are Made for Walking

Anybody caught on the motorway might have been better off walking on the day that thousands of shoes mysteriously appeared on the hard shoulder of a motorway, slowing traffic to a standstill. From trainers, to high heels, to sandals, and even rollerblades, the shoes were scattered far and wide along the roadside. As there was no sign of an accident and nobody ever came forward to claim the shoes, they were collected up and taken to a field, from which a charity organisation would collect and distribute them.

Spillages are a particularly unfortunate part of delivery work. Whether the cargo is small and slippery like peas, or a lasting liquid such as dye, it is important to drive with extreme care in any area that has seen a spillage recently.

Lyall Cresswell is the Managing Director of Haulage Exchange, the leading online trade network for the road transport industry across the UK and Europe. It provides services for Delivery Work to buy and sell road transport and freight exchange in the domestic and international markets.