Don’t cry over spilt fizz: 20 tonnes of Prosecco smashed in lorry crash
Prosecco flooded a motorway in Berkshire after two lorries, one carrying 20 tonnes of sparkling wine, collided. Officials described the scene as “not quite the roadside refreshment anyone had in mind”.
One lorry had its empty shipping container knocked sideways, and the other HGV, transporting 20 tonnes of Prosecco, was ripped open on one side – leaving broken bottles of Italian white wine strewn across the Berkshire motorway.
The vehicles crashed between junctions 13 for the Chiveley Interchange and 14 for Hungerford at approximately 7.30am on Monday.
Thames Valley Police described the scene as “not quite the roadside refreshment anyone had in mind.”
One person was injured in the incident, and parts of the M4 were shut for seven hours while the wreckage was cleared up.
Police said the recovery was “prolonged and complex”, with one lorry “partially lifted off the ground”.
The westbound lanes were closed until after 3pm to allow the lorries to be recovered off the road.
Royal Berkshire Fire and Rescue Service said it sent crews from Newbury, Theale and Caversham Road to the scene.
Partner Content
They said: “No people were trapped but firefighters provided immediate emergency care to one person with minor injuries.
“Firefighters were on the scene for about one hour and 10 minutes before handing over to National Highways.”
Roads run with rivers of liquor
It’s not the first time lorry collisions have led to roads running with rivers of alcohol. In 2019, it wasn’t fizz but gin that flooded the motorway, after a lorry carrying 31,000 litres of liquor crashed into another HGV.
At the time, the alcohol was coated with foam to prevent the flammable liquid from igniting.
And in 2017, a truck 26,000 litres of Jim Beam Bourbon and Canadian Club whisky spilled onto the road in South Australia, after the Melbourne-bound truck collided head-on with a refrigeration truck.
The impact caused the trailer carrying alcohol to flip and catch fire shortly after impact. The drivers of both vehicles survived.
In 2015, the driver of a Bud Light Truck in Florida also managed to crash his vehicle after he was “distracted by his dog”. The canine mishap resulted in thousands of cans of beer being spilled across the road, the drinks business reported.
The Florida Highway Patrol reported that, “he collided with the center median before overturning about 7:30 a.m. He had drifted to the shoulder of the roadway after his small dog distracted him, then turned too hard to his left to correct the drift.”
Related news
Police investigation into MW horror crash in Burgundy deemed 'inadequate'
