Driver charged over '840kg of metal' shards allegedly spilled onto M1 motorway north of Sydney
More than 300 vehicles were damaged after 840kg of metal fragments spilled onto the M1. (ABC News)
In short:
A 46-year-old male driver has been charged after his truck allegedly lost its metal load on a busy highway north of Sydney.
NSW Police said about 840 kilograms of metal spilled onto the roadway, damaging more than 300 cars.
What's next?
The driver is due to appear in court in July.
A driver has been charged after an estimated 840 kilograms of metal allegedly spilled from his truck on a busy highway north of Sydney earlier this month.
Hundreds of motorists were left stranded on the M1 Pacific Motorway between Wyong Road and Mount White on the Central Coast, after their tyres were damaged by the metal debris.
NSW Police said more than 300 vehicles were impacted.
The incident, which occurred at about 5:10am on Friday, May 2, prompted the closure of about a 30-kilometre section of the motorway and brought traffic to a standstill.
At the time, officers spoke to the 46-year-old male driver of a "heavy vehicle tipper towing a trailer".
The incident caused major traffic delays for most of the day. (ABC News)
In a statement on Saturday, NSW Police said he had been served with a Future Court Attendance Notice for drive heavy vehicle not comply loading requirements-severe.
"It will be alleged that the secondary locking handles on the trailer were not properly engaged,"it said.
"… [It resulted] in an estimated 840kg of metal spilling onto the roadway over a distance of about 30km."
'Unprecedented situation'
It was hours before the road was reopened after a major clean-up operation, and NSW Roads Minister Jenny Aitchison described it at the time as "an unprecedented situation".
"It is very challenging because small pieces of metal are very difficult to pick up," she said.
"If you can imagine, it's like trying to hoover up the highway."
ABC Radio Central Coast was inundated with callers sharing their experiences.
"It's just a disaster at the moment," a driver, whose tyres were busted by the debris, said.
Another said he had driven slowly in case he had a flat tyre, but had managed to avoid any damage.
"I got out when I got to Wahroonga [Sydney's north] and just checked my poor tyres," he said.
"They were still round, still black and still up, so thank goodness they survived."
The charged driver is due to appear in court in July.