M1 Sydney Police update: Free repairs after truck metal shreds 300 tyres, clean-up to take all day

Police and Transport for NSW have addressed the media after a truck spill caused major disruption on the M1 Pacific Motorway, scattering metal debris across 30 kilometres of southbound lanes and leaving over 300 vehicles with punctured or shredded tyres.

The incident, described by authorities as involving “thousands of pieces of sharp metal”, occurred around 5am Friday near Palmdale north of Ourimbah, spreading debris as far south as the Mount White weigh station.

The Traffic & Highway Patrol Commander fronted the media on Thursday to answer questions and inform motorists that no one will have to pay for towing or repair costs which will be covered.

“Officers from the Traffic and Highway Patrol Command as well as our local police districts have been involved in a very significant response to this issue since the early hours of this morning,” Acting Superintendent Thomas Barnes said, describing a coordinated effort to manage the motorway chaos.

“That response was three-fold. Firstly, and perhaps most importantly, to ensure the safety of those members of the public who had become disabled in what were quite dangerous circumstances. Darkness, with rain falling,” he explained.

He emphasised the need for patience, noting, “I would like to thank all those members of the community that were impacted today for their patience and their understanding, and ask those, particularly those heading into the evening peak, to again, show some understanding, be patient.”

He highlighted the risk to motorists during such incidents: “What occurred is a very good example of the risk posed to motor in the event of a breakdown and the need for other motorists to be very conscious of vehicles stopped on the side of motorways, particularly in the high-speed zones, of the need not only to create distance, but to reduce speed.”

“We’re very lucky that we didn’t have a fatality or a serious injury this morning. And when it quite easily could have occurred,” Acting Superintendent Thomas Barnes said, underscoring the potential severity of the situation.

The clean up is expected to take “several hours” according to Howard Transport for NSW Coordinator Howard Collins.

“There will be no charge for your vehicle being towed,” Mr Collins said.

He’s also urged motorists to check their tyres even if they think they made it through unscathed: “Please check the tyres of your vehicle, because there may be something waiting to happen, these metal shards are sharp and could lead to failure”.

“You imagine 750 kilograms of finely ground steel, which is a very sharp metal object... We are using some magnetic devices. We are removing embedded metal in the highway itself. This takes a long time,” Mr Collins said, describing the unprecedented scale of clean-up efforts across 30km of motorway.

“We want to ensure that every single bit of dangerous metal is off that highway. Because if we don’t do that, we’ll have a repeat performance,” he stressed, praising crews working since 6am with specialised equipment.

“In my experience of five decades of transport, it was a pretty professional job,” Mr Collins said of the rolling closure strategy implemented during foggy pre-dawn conditions to prevent further incidents.

The trucking company involved, NJ Ashton Group, has attributed the spill to mechanical failure of a vehicle that had previously completed 30km of its route without incident.

Company representative Daniel Falconer described the debris as “flock” - small, sharp steel particles that escaped undetected despite locked rear pins on the truck.

“We’re very sorry for all the concern... Thank God no one’s had a major accident”, Falconer told 2GB, pledging to cover repair costs.

Dozens of drivers were forced to pull over, with witness Robert telling 2GB’s Ben Fordham: “I just saw eight cars pulled over with flat tyres - and within a minute or two, that number had doubled... By the time I passed the next hill, there were at least 40 cars trying to change tyres”.

The NSW Rural Fire Service reported 300 vehicles including emergency responders sustained tyre damage, while transport officials tallied 145 marooned vehicles during peak response efforts.

The 25km closure between Ourimbah and Mount White caused traffic backups stretching 5km further north, with heavy vehicles instructed to park until reopening.

Clean-up crews using sweepers and dozens of tow trucks worked to clear debris described as “millions of pieces of metal” scattered across all southbound lanes.

Motorists are advised to use Pacific Highway detours with the M1 closed in a southbound direction as of 11.45am Thursday, with B-doubles prohibited from alternative routes.