Metal Debris Damages Hundreds of Cars on Sydney-Bound M1

Millions of pieces of metal debris have littered Sydney-bound M1 lanes this morning, puncturing the tires of hundreds of cars in an “unprecedented situation”.

Shortly after 5am, a truck carrying metal shards of debris lost its load while travelling between Palmdale and Mooney Mooney Bridge.

All Sydney-bound lanes between Ourimah and the Calga Interchange are closed, with almost 30 kilometres of the motorway affected.

NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison said the government was utilising all its resources and working with the private sector to clean up the mess.

“It is very challenging because small pieces of metal are very difficult to pick up, if you can imagine it’s like trying to hoover up the highway.”

The minister said they were working to ease the congestion by clearing a backlog of B-double trucks unable to turn around and left stranded.

“We are looking at a very protracted situation, we’re talking hours and potentially to the end of day.”

Reports indicate that as many as 380 vehicles had been damaged, but Traffic and Highway Patrol commander, Acting Superintendent Thomas Barnes said that number could grow.

“We’d certainly encourage anyone that’s travelled down the M1 south today, that has been able to make it to where they were going, just to take a moment to look at their vehicle and inspect all the tyres just to make sure there’s not a slow leak there that might cause some problems later in the day,” he said.

Spill apparent accident

The spilled truck belongs to trucking company NJ Ashton, with spokesperson General Manager Daniel Falconer, saying they were taking full responsibility for the spillage.

“The truck driver has been doing the run for about a year and is experienced, and our fleet is regularly serviced and maintained,” he said.

“We have always held ourselves to the highest standards and are in full compliance with all certifications and regulations.”

NJ Ashton said their immediate priority was assisting with the cleanup, and have sent every qualified mechanic to the site to assist.

At this stage, the incident appears to have been an accident, and will be investigated further.