Motorway closed after lorry spills beans

A lorry has overturned on a motorway, causing it to spill the beans it was carrying across the road.

A southbound stretch of the M52 has been closed between junction four for Bebington and junction five for Eastham in Merseyside after the crash, which also involved a van.

There were no reports of any injuries, the North West Motorway Police said.

A spokesperson said the lorry was carrying around 28 tonnes of soya beans.

Two tractors were on the scene to clear up the scattered legumes, they said.

The soya was then being loaded on to another lorry to be removed from the scene.

The spokesperson said it “might take a little while” for the motorway to be reopened “due to the amount [of beans] that have been shed”.

They also said there were concerns about damage to the carriageway underneath the spilled beans as a result of the crash.

It would probably be a few hours before the road was cleared and the lorry righted, they added.

Traffic was being diverted around the closed section of motorway.