Diesel spill causes major delays on Forth Road Bridge

A diesel spill has caused more than seven hours of misery for motorists on the Forth Road Bridge.

The spillage occurred shortly after 1pm on Tuesday when a piece of metal debris that had fallen off a vehicle onto the carriageway punctured a lorry’s fuel tank on the bridge.

Approximately 200 litres of diesel were spilled along the inside lane of the northbound carriageway over almost half of the bridge’s 2.5km span.

This forced the closure of a northbound lane and led to massive tailbacks on the M90. A team of sweepers worked constantly for seven hours to mop up the fuel with detergent to prevent permanent damage to the bridge.

Both lanes finally reopened just after 8.30pm. No one was injured in the incident.

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