M18 services evacuated as drivers told to avoid Doncaster following chemical leak
A service station has been sealed off with a 50m cordon as emergency services rush to the scene of a major chemical leak.
Traffic chaos has erupted on the M18 after a lorry, reportedly parked up at a service station, began leaking a chemical. South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said its crews were manning an incident at the Doncaster North Services this afternoon (May 30).
The service station, at junction 5, is currently locked down with customers forced to leave the premises.
A statement from the crew said: "We currently have several fire crews at an incident at Doncaster North Services on the M18, J5.
"A lorry is leaking a chemical substance. A 50m cordon is in place. The service station area has been evacuated. Due to traffic, firecrews are asking people to avoid the services."
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Specialists removing remainder of unnamed toxic substance
Specialists from Yorkshire Fire & Rescue are now extracting the remainder of the substance from the service station.
In a statement, the service said the process would likely take "a couple of hours".
The statement read: "Specialist personnel are now on site decanting the remainder of the chemical safely. This should take a couple of hours.
"In the meantime, please avoid the Doncaster North Services on the M18, J5 to allow emergency services to do their job."
Traffic returns to normal
Traffic on the M18 is now back to normal, according to Highways England.
The service states that northbound traffic at Doncaster is travelling at speeds of 58 and 62mph.
Southbound traffic is also speeding up, although it is slower, around 48mph.
Lorry leaking 'chemical substance' says Yorkshire Fire and Rescue
Yorkshire Fire and Rescue has said it evacuated people from the area around the service station after the lorry was found to be leaking a "chemical substance".
In a statement, the service said fire crews were asking people to avoid the area.
The statement read: "We currently have several fire crews at an incident at Doncaster North Services on the M18, J5.
"A lorry is leaking a chemical substance. A 50m cordon is in place.
"The service station area has been evacuated. Due to traffic, firecrews are asking people to avoid the services."
Drivers advised for further delays
In anticipation of upcoming roadwork, drivers on the M2 in England should prepare for significant delays.
The motorway will be closed from 9 PM on May 31 to 6 AM on June 3 for maintenance work. Additional overnight closures are scheduled from June 3 to June 7.
These closures will affect the London-bound carriageway between junctions 2 and 7.
National Highways recommends following diversion routes and allowing extra travel time.
Many commuters stranded on the station
Several commuters were left stranded at the stations as services running from Doncaster were cancelled due to the bomb scare.
Travellers have reached out to LNER asking for refunds and more details about the cancellation.
One user wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "@LNER, the last leg of my journey Doncaster to Newcastle 13:50- 15:30 has been cancelled due to the wartime bomb. Can I get another train to Newcastle today? Refund etc?"
Another wrote: "It says trains to Birmingham cancelled. We are terminating at Doncaster apparently. I don't know this area at all. What are we supposed to do now."
Railway between Sheffield and Meadowhall closed
Commuters claimed that the railway line between Sheffield and Meadowhall has been closed after the incident.
A social media user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter how the line is running very slow.
I've made it Doncaster and just in time because the railway between Sheffield and Meadowhall closed shortly afterwards because a wartime bomb has been discovered near the railway.
\u2014 Tom (@tomyorks) May 30, 2024
Now onwards to Peterborough, but the very slow way pic.twitter.com/aZt7bgvAl5
Traffic building up in other areas
Traffic cameras show congestion building up from the south near the A1146.
Drivers are also facing poor traffic conditions on nearby roads along the A1M southbound between J41 and J40.
National Highways expects normal traffic conditions to return between 2 PM and 2:15 PM today, but congestion is still present in the area.
