Hundreds of cars get flat tyres after truck spills scrap metal

Hundreds of cars were near with level tyres aft a motortruck travelling on 1 of Australia's busiest highways spilled 750kg (1,653lb) of crisp metallic shards connected the road.

The motortruck travelled for 30km (18 miles) earlier the scrap metallic spillage was detected, authorities said.

The incidental forced city-bound lanes to adjacent for hours connected Friday, with the debris damaging the tyres of astatine slightest 300 cars.

Some exigency vehicles besides had their tyres shredded, New South Wales Rural Fire Service said.

"A motortruck mislaid a load of scrap metallic astir 5am this morning, causing extended debris," the occurrence work said.

New South Wales authorities constabulary said the incidental occurred connected the M1 Pacific Motorway adjacent Ourimbah, northbound of Sydney. The agelong of motorway reopened connected Friday afternoon, aft being closed for 10 hours.

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

Authorities are utilizing magnets to pull the metal.

"It's not conscionable a lawsuit of getting a roadworthy sweeper retired oregon guys and girls with brooms. We are utilizing immoderate magnetic devices. We are removing embedded metallic successful the road itself. This takes a agelong time," authorities road patrol commandant Howard Collins told a property conference.

The M1 is simply a freight and commuter way that runs northbound of Sydney.

State roads curate Jenny Aitchison said the concern was "unprecedented".

"We are moving with each of the resources of authorities and the backstage assemblage to bash the clean-up," she said.

"It's similar trying to hoover up the highway. It's precise difficult."

The motortruck driver, a 46-year-old man, was cooperating with inquiries, constabulary said.

"We're taking afloat work for what's happened and are precise atrocious for immoderate harm and disruption that's been caused," NJ Ashton said successful a connection connected its website.

"We inactive don't afloat recognize however this occurred."

Mr Collins said the motortruck had travelled implicit 30 km (18.64 miles) with debris falling from the backmost of the conveyance earlier the spillage was detected.