National Highways Case Study

The Client

National Highways (formerly Highways England) is responsible for operating, maintaining and improving some 4,500 miles of motorways and major A roads across England. As well as planning and designing the network, they also need to respond to and manage the many incidents and hazards that can arise anywhere, anytime.

The Situation

The M25 orbital motorway is one of the busiest roads in the UK, carrying approximately 2.5 million vehicles around the outskirts of London every day, including large numbers of HGVs. That makes the M25 an integral part of the country’s logistics and supply infrastructure.

At about 11am on 19 April 2022, an HGV carrying a full load of vegetable oil crashed into the central reservation of the M25 near Potters Bar, spilling the oil across the carriageway. As a result, the motorway was closed between junctions 23 and 25 with other local roads becoming rapidly clogged as drivers sought new routes.

The drainage beneath the motorway and verge culverts plays an essential role in helping to quickly remove high volumes of surface water from the motorway, thus keeping this primary arterial route safe for traffic. But the oil spillage was not only a problem for the efficiency of the motorway – more importantly, it posed a significant risk to the local environment. A fast and effective response was therefore essential.

Our response

As one of the leading liquid waste management specialists operating in the area, and with speed being of the essence to get traffic moving smoothly once more, Need a Tanker was contacted by National Highways and tasked with clearing the oil spillage.

By 7pm, and within two hours of being contacted, we had a team of seven at the site ready to start the complex clean-up operation that was required. Using three specialist tankers equipped with high pressure water jets, our team worked through the night to clear up the oil and make the road safe for drivers.
By 11.30 the following morning, National Highways was able to open two lanes and allow traffic to begin passing through the area once more.

Need a Tanker operates a large fleet of tankers ready to respond at any time to all kinds of liquid waste emergencies across the country. Get in touch with us now to find out more about how we can help you with your liquid waste needs.