Hundreds of cars get flat tyres after truck spills metal

Hundreds of cars were left with flat tyres after a truck travelling along one of Australia’s busiest highways spilled 750kg (1,653lb) of sharp metal shards on the road.

The truck travelled for 30km (18 miles) before the scrap metal spillage was detected, authorities said.

The incident forced city-bound lanes to close for hours on Friday, with the debris damaging the tyres of at least 300 cars.

Some emergency vehicles also had their tyres shredded, New South Wales Rural Fire Service said.

“A truck lost a load of scrap metal around 5am this morning, causing extensive debris,” the fire service said.

New South Wales state police said the incident occurred on the M1 Pacific Motorway near Ourimbah, north of Sydney. The stretch of motorway reopened on Friday afternoon, after being closed for 10 hours.

NJ Ashton, the company that owns the truck, apologised and said it was helping with the clean-up.

Authorities are using magnets to attract the metal.

“It’s not just a case of getting a road sweeper out or guys and girls with brooms. We are using some magnetic devices. We are removing embedded metal in the highway itself. This takes a long time,” state highway patrol commander Howard Collins told a press conference.

The M1 is a freight and commuter route that runs north of Sydney.

State roads minister Jenny Aitchison said the situation was “unprecedented”.

“We are working with all of the resources of government and the private sector to do the clean-up,” she said.

“It’s like trying to hoover up the highway. It’s very difficult.”

The truck driver, a 46-year-old man, was cooperating with inquiries, police said.

“We’re taking full responsibility for what’s happened and are very sorry for any damage and disruption that’s been caused,” NJ Ashton said in a statement on its website.

“We still don't fully understand how this occurred.”

Mr Collins said the truck had travelled over 30 km (18.64 miles) with debris falling from the back of the vehicle before the spillage was detected.