It has been a chaotic day for drivers making the trip down to Sydney on one of the nation’s busiest motorways. Hundreds of vehicles had their tyres shredded after metal scraps spilled out from a truck on the M1. It brought southbound traffic to a standstill for several hours. A Sydney hauling company has since apologised for the debacle and says it insurance will cover the costs.
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00:00A morning commute devolves into motorway mayhem.
00:06Traffic on the M1 backed up as far as the eye could see as drivers heading to Sydney
00:12at around 5am copped flat tyres.
00:15We're very lucky that we didn't have a fatality or a serious injury this morning.
00:20The culprit?
00:21Small pieces of scrap metal spilled from a truck.
00:26Police say more than 700 kilograms of debris was dropped over 30 kilometres of highway.
00:33Southbound lanes from Tuggera to Mount White were closed for up to eight hours.
00:39More than 300 cars reported damage, a number that's expected to grow.
00:45Those caught in the chaos called into ABC Radio to vent their frustration.
00:49It's just a disaster at the moment.
00:52They were just car after car.
00:54I was lucky, I only had one, the people next to me had two so they were stuck there.
00:59The M1 is one of Australia's busiest highways, especially for truckies.
01:04Hundreds of heavy vehicles were forced to put the brakes on their deliveries and wait
01:08for the mess to clear.
01:09Trying to go to South Australia so that's bugging me for that so I don't know where we're gonna.
01:14A Sydney hauling company has claimed responsibility for the mayhem.
01:18It started trickling out somehow, it's pushed and pushed and opened up the back.
01:22We're not sure how and why. We apologise profusely.
01:26It's prompted a mammoth clean up.
01:29It's not just a case of getting a road sweeper out or guys and girls with brooms.
01:33We are using some magnetic devices, we are removing embedded metal in the highway itself.
01:41By 2pm this afternoon, all affected lanes had reopened.
01:46NJ Ashton says its insurance will pick up the tab.
01:50NJ Ashton says its insurance means cargo.