Oil spill on M8 causes traffic chaos

There were major delays on the M8 in Scotland yesterday when an oil spill on the carriageway caused traffic chaos.

Drivers faced hours of queues after the incident near Harthill Services in West Lothian. The accident, which resulted in two lanes of the eastbound motorway being closed, happened during the morning rush hour.

The tailbacks on the motorway reached as far back as Ballieston in Glasgow with police warning motorists to allow more time to complete their journey.

Strathclyde Police were called to the incident on Wednesday morning and had to use spill kits and spill control equipment to remove the spilled oil.

Spill kits come in small easy to carry bags that can be worn on the shoulder and large sized containers that contain items such as absorbent pads, absorbent pillows and absorbent socks. Some spill kits also contain personal protective equipment so that the spill kit user can protect themselves quickly, speeding up the spill response time.

If you drive an HGV, it’s worth having a look at the spill kits that are available that can fit neatly into your cab. They are not only excellent to use if you spill the contents you are carrying, they are also perfect to use if your lorry suffers an oil spill or fuel leak.