HAZARDOUS chemicals have spilled out onto a motorway after a tanker crashed with a car – causing major delays.
Southbound lanes of the M40 were closed between junction 8 Oxford and junction 6 Watlington following the collision.
The incident occurred at around 7.45pm last night, with recovery teams working through the night.
National Highways says the bitumen spillage has resulted in “significant damage” to the route due to the substance hardening on the carriageway.
It said emergency services remain at the scene working with specialist teams to “safely contain and clear a spillage of bitumen from the damaged tanker”.
A replacement tanker and specialist recovery team arrived on the scene at around 3.40am to begin transferring the remaining load, and remove the damaged the vehicle.
A spokesperson added: “Lane three within the closure has been reopened to release trapped traffic, but the main carriageway must stay closed for safety reasons.”
