Potato spill closes M5 motorway for 12 HOURS after lorry overturned and 22 tonnes of spuds had to be picked up by hand

A potato lorry crash forced a busy motorway to close for 12 hours while 22 tonnes of potatoes had to be cleared away by hand.

Drivers heading to the south-west on the M5 were caught up in an unusual Christmas delay with the huge mounds of potatoes covering the southbound carriageway.

Closures were in place yesterday in Devon between J28 (Cullompton) and J29 (Exeter) southbound, after the lorry overturned at around 8am.

All three lanes were affected, as the roasting potatoes – spilled out onto the road.

These were picked up largely by hand, by police officers and highways teams, with as much as possible being salvaged and given to a local charity.

One person was hurt but no serious injuries were reported according to Devon and Cornwall Police.

A potato lorry crash forced a busy motorway to close for 12 hours

Drivers heading to the south-west on the M5 were caught up in an unusual Christmas delay with the huge mounds of potatoes covering the southbound carriageway

Closures were in place yesterday in Devon between J28 (Cullompton) and J29 (Exeter) southbound, after the lorry overturned at around 8am

They were picked up largely by hand, by police officers and highways teams, with as much as possible being salvaged and given to a local charity

Speaking at the time, Sgt Owen Jones said ‘It’s blocking all three lanes and the hard shoulder.

‘We’re working hard to get it recovered but unfortunately 22 tonnes of loose potatoes are causing us quite some problems.

‘It’s hindering recovery at the moment.

‘We’ve got quite a few officers coming from various parts of the force to give us a hand unloading these potatoes before we can complete recovery.’

Devon and Cornwall Police Roads Policing Team shared a picture of some of their officers collecting the potatoes while the operation was on-going and wrote: ‘Despite our efforts the M5S remains shut whilst we empty 22 tons of potatoes mainly by hand! 

‘We are rescuing as many as possible for charity!’

It was earlier extended to J27 (Tiverton) also, to allow traffic to be turned around, but has since reduced again to just the single junction.

The closure was described as ‘complex’ with the road finally re-opening at 8pm last night – 12 hours after the crash.

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