Lunchtime traffic was held up in Marlborough High Street yesterday (Wed) when a broken down four by four vehicle started leaking diesel on the parking area opposite the Waitrose supermarket.
Police cordoned off the area and called in town council staff to grit the contaminated roadway before vehicle was taken away by a recovery company.
A local road safety expert commented that “Diesel spills are an extremely dangerous hazard, particularly for cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians as they make the road surface as slippery as ice, but can’t always be seen”. They also added “any diesel spill should be reported immediately to the police or local authority so that prompt action can be taken and accidents avoided”.
PCSO Jon Mills said later that there was a mechanical fault in the fuel pump of the vehicle. It started pouring out diesel as the driver parked in the High Street. “It was just one of those things,” he added.
