A trucking company has apologised after more than one hundred vehicles were stuck with flat tyres on the a busy Sydney motorway due to sharp metal debris spread across the roadway.
Police were called to the southbound M1 between Wyong Road and Mount White about 5.10am on Friday “due to a large amount of metal debris on the roadway,” NSW Police said in a statement.
The tyres of more than on hundred vehicles were damaged, Traffic and Highway Patrol Command officers found. Many of the vehicles were stopped in the breakdown lane.
“A truck lost a load of scrap metal around 5am this morning,” NSW Rural Fire Service said in a post to social media.
Daniel Falconer, of hauler and trucking company NJ Ashton, confirmed the vehicle belonged to them on Ben Fordham’s 2GB on Friday morning.
The debris is called “flock,” Falconer said, small, sharp steel that “when it comes out, it is puncturing the tyres”.
“It is a mechanical error of some sort, we don’t know exactly how it has come out the back of the truck,” Falconer said. “It’s been seeping out by the looks of it over a couple of kilometres.”
The vehicle traveled 30km before metal started falling out, he said.
“The same truck has been doing the same run for three or four weeks and we haven’t had a problem.”
The driver had “absolutely no idea” the metal was spilling. Falconer said the pins on the back of the truck were locked.
“When the police turned up, they confirmed that they were locked firm. So it’s just coming out somehow, we’re not 100% sure, but we’ll have to investigate the whole thing.”
Falconer said NJ Ashton mechanics are en route to fix tyres and “help anyone on the side of the road”.
“We are very, very sorry for what has happened.”
“We are just doing as much as we possible can.”
Heavy vehicle inspectors, a tow truck and sweepers joined emergency services and Transport NSW at the scene, according to Live Traffic NSW.
The Transport Management Centre coordinator Howard Collins told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation the backdoor of a vehicle came open “and spread thousands of pieces of sharp metal all across the motorway”.
“Hundreds of vehicles have had their tyres punctured by this metal.”
“I’ve seen photographs multiple tyres, so it’s no use changing one tyre, because three or four have gone.”
Southbound lanes of the M1 between Wyong Road, Tuggerah and the Calga Interchange were closed, and diversions are in place. Police urged motorists to allow “plenty of extra travel time” in the area.
More details soon …
