Lorry sheds load after hitting wall of house near Bircher (From Ledbury Reporter)

Lorry sheds load after hitting wall of house near Bircher

10:47am Wednesday 27th February 2013 in News

A LORRY carrying around 32 tonnes of ammonium nitrate fertiliser shed its load hitting a wall of a house near Bircher yesterday.

Emergency services were called to Rose Cottage on the B4362 at 5.15pm and immediately closed the road.

The crash also resulted in a diesel spillage and firefighters put a protective sheeting over the fertiliser to prevent it from getting damp.

Neither the male lorry driver or a woman who was in the property are the time were injured.

Around 4,000kg of the load spilled into the property's garden.

"Fortunately, the lorry driver and the occupants of the house were not injured as a result of the collision, however there was significant damage to the property," said Hereford and Worcester Fire and Rescue Station Commander Neil Lilwall.

"A local authority building control officer confirmed that temporary alternative accommodation had to be found for the home owner.

"Fire serive and West Mercia Police Hazardous Material Officers were also called to provide specialist advice to the on scene incident commanders who worked with a recovery company to resolve the incident safely."

Some of the fertiliser has been removed, but because of the potentially hazardous nature of the material, the road is still closed while police await for the rest of it to be cleared.