FISH SPILL CAUSES TRAFFIC CHAOS
11:50 - 12 September 2006
This was the chaotic scene on a main city road during rush hour after thousands of fish spilled from a transporter lorry. Drivers were delayed for hours after a lorry delivering fish to the city centre accidentally dropped 33 barrels of sprats across the Plymouth-bound carriageway near Sainsbury’s supermarket, at Marsh Mills.
It caused mayhem for drivers just after 4pm yesterday as only one carriageway stayed open - and the cars had to go slow due to the slippery fish.
Fire crews from Greenbank and Plympton - as well as police and council workers - went down to help clear the fish from the scene while police guided traffic past the mess.
The fire crews estimated that several tonnes of fish were strewn across the road after the lorry’s side curtain burst open.
Pc Clint Cox, of Plympton traffic police, said: "It caused chaos for about three hours.
“It stank. There were tens of thousands of sprats - but the traffic was effectively managed and the fish were cleared up as soon as possible.”
Council workers hosed down the road after the fish were packed up for disposal.
It is believed the barrels had been fixed to pallets inside the lorry, which had travelled from Exmouth and was bound for the city’s fish market.
Some pallets had fallen intact from the lorry and a fork-lift truck was used to recover them.
They were then taken to Sutton Harbour and dropped off at the fish market at about 6.15pm.
Pc Cox said: "Blood and guts from the fish were hosed off and the incident was over in about three hours.
"It was purely an accident which had the potential to be much worse.
“There is heavy traffic in that area at that time, so it could have been much worse - particularly if a barrel had hit another car.”
Rob Fletcher, 15, from Hele’s School, witnessed the accident.
He and some friends came to the aid of the driver, helping him to manhandle the barrels out of the carriageway and on to the side of the road.
Rob said: "It was quite a sight - there were so many fish across the road.
He added: “There was an awful stench.”
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