Tar spill stretches over 2km

Traffic was delayed after a tanker lost litres of its sticky load on Te Ngae Rd yesterday. Photo/Ben Fraser

A tanker carrying wet tar spilt litres of the sticky substance on Rotorua's Te Ngae Rd yesterday, causing traffic delays as the mess was cleaned up.

Police closed off a lane of traffic on Te Ngae Rd and the left turn into Sala St, after a Fulton-Hogan tanker spilt about 50 litres of tar on the road about 11am yesterday.

Rotorua police Senior Constable Grant Keys said the truck had braked suddenly to avoid a collision with a car at an intersection, rupturing the top hatch of the tanker which let its contents pour on to the road. The tar spill stretched more than 2km along the road, with the thickest of it at the Te Ngae Rd and Sala St intersection on the city-bound lane.

"The tar is not the problem, it's the volume of it. The tail of it stretches all the way to Basley Rd," Mr Keys said.

In a statement, Fulton-Hogan's Bay of Plenty regional manager Gavin Riddle said the company worked with State Highway maintenance contractors and the New Zealand Transport Agency to ensure the area was reopened to traffic as quickly as possible.

"We regret the inconvenience to the travelling public and we will be investigating the effectiveness of the hatch mechanism in use on this vehicle to prevent any possible reoccurences of this event," he said.

The spill was cleared by about 1.30pm yesterday, after wood chips and gravel were added to the area and a sweeping truck swept away the excess.

Mr Keys said Fulton-Hogan had taken full responsibility for the spill and praised them for promptly sending maintenance contractors and crews to the scene. Roads were reopened shortly after the spill was cleared.

Mr Keys said it was important for drivers to be patient when they are at intersections or roundabouts. He said drivers should be aware of big trucks and tankers and the time it takes for them to brake suddenly.