M6 gin crash: HGV collision closes motorway - BBC News
An HGV carrying 32,000 litres of gin is leaking its load over the carriageway following a collision.
The crash - between junctions 19 and 20 - has caused lengthy delays on the M6

The M6 has been closed after a lorry carrying 32,000 litres of gin was involved in a crash and began leaking its cargo on to the carriageway.

The motorway was shut in Cheshire between junction 19 at Knutsford and junction 20 at Lymm following a collision between two HGVs at about 17:30 BST.

Cheshire Police said the crash had caused long delays and advised motorists to avoid the area.

There are no reports of injuries.

The crash happened at about 17:30 BST

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said it was "working hard to stem the leak" from one of the tankers carrying concentrated gin so it could be pumped into a replacement tanker.

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It said it was also coating the spilt alcohol with foam to prevent the flammable liquid from igniting.

It added a 300m (0.3km) cordon has been put in place "as a precautionary measure".

One of those caught up in the tailback, Rachel Sargeant, said she had been caught up in a two-hour delay.

She tweeted she was sitting "200yds away from 32,000 litres of spilt gin", joking it was "heartbreaking she didn't have a straw".

The "gincident" prompted a flurry of puns on social media which may have been a tonic for those caught up in lengthy delays.

Mr Ree 2 asked if it was in the "sloe lane" while Anthony Davies tweeted those in the traffic "just had to gin and bear it".

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