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M5 still closed 13 hours after crash and fuel spill

Matty Edwards,West of Englandand
Dan Ayers,Somerset
A clean-up operation is under way after a fuel spillage on the southbound carriageway

A section of the M5 has been closed for more than 12 hours after a fuel tanker jackknifed, leading to a diesel spillage and crash.

The southbound carriageway between junction 22 for Burnham-on-Sea and junction 23 for Bridgwater in Somerset was shut at about 04:30 BST.

The lorry hit the central reservation and ended up on the hard shoulder, causing damage to the barrier. A car then hit the side of the tanker.

National Highways said no-one was injuredand repairs and clearance work was ongoing, with the road not expected to reopen until early evening rush hour. It added drivers currently faced delays of about five hours.

The lorry was carrying petrol but the spilt fuel came from the HGV's engine, National Highways said.

Clarke Hobbs, operations manager in the organisation's control room, said: "Unfortunately the petrol tanker was fully loaded, which means there were 32,000 litres of petrol on board.

"That needs to be pumped out into a second tanker before the recovery takes place so at the moment the motorway is still closed with significant delays in the area."

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National Highways said about 200m (656 ft) of roadside barrier was being repaired.

One delivery driver told BBC Radio Somerset he had been stationary for hours and the situation was "very frustrating".

"I'm quite astounded it can take so long to get it up and running. I understand safety, but this accident happened early hours.

"The M5 remains a car park," he said.

News imageBBC/Andy Bennett Two sides of the motorway. You can see the Junction 22 sign and bridge above the lanes. On the right hand side the road is empty. There are several lorries and trucks surrounding the tanker which spilt fuel.BBC/Andy Bennett
National Highways said drivers were facing five hours of delays

The closure is causing heavy congestion along the diversion route on the A38 southbound between East Brent near Dunball and where the road joins the A39 - just before junction 23 of the M5.

Surrounding routes and local roads around Burnham and Highbridge have also been affected by congestion.

Further barrier repairs will be required once other lanes have been reopened when a hard shoulder closure takes place later, National Highways added.

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