Watch: Crane lifts crashed lorry from canal
A major trunk road was closed today as a crane was brought in to lift an articulated lorry out of a canal.
The lorry, carrying a load of sugar beet pellets, toppled into the canal after the driver lost control of the vehicle on the A483 between Abermule and Garthmyl.
The driver managed to climb out of his cab, unhurt, before emergency services arrived.
His vehicle was left half submerged in the canal which runs alongside the main road. The two are separated by a crash barrier but the lorry fell over the top of the structure into the Montgomery Canal.
Officers from Natural Resources Wales (NRW) have been working closely with contractors to successfully remove the trailer and the cab from the canal.
Rob Ireson, Senior Environment Officer for Natural Resources Wales, said: "We work closely with the emergency services as incidents like this can damage our rivers and important wildlife.
"Pollution control booms and absorbents that were placed in the canal have contained engine oil from the lorry, and contractors are working to clean up the fuel oil next to the canal.
"Over the coming days we will work with the Canal and Rivers Trust to continue to monitor the canal, and oversee the clean-up of the canal and surrounding ground.
"This will ensure that any damage to the environment is kept to a minimum."
The road has been closed by the Trunk Roads Agency to enable recovery operations to take place. It will reopen as a single lane temporarily as the rest of the area is cleaned.
The accident happened on Monday. Initial attempts to right the vehicle proved unsuccessful and Dyfed Powys Police said a crane would have to be used to get it back on its wheels. .
The drama happened at 2pm on Monday with the trunk road reopened in the evening.
Newtown fire crews helped at the scene ensuring no-one was in the cab and making the area safe. Firefighters from Mid and West Wales Fire service launched two specialist rescue boats on the canal to inspect the scene.
"Nobody was in the lorry by the time we had arrived at the scene," a spokesman said.
An environmental alert was issued after the accident with officers from Natural Resources Wales travelling to the area.
Rob Ireson, senior environment officer for Natural Resources Wales, said: "Our officers were on site working with the fire service, police and specialist contractors to remove the trailer containing approximately 28 tonnes of sugar beet pellets from the canal.
"Special booms were being placed in the canal to contain any spilled fuel, oil and pellets and we worked alongside the emergency services to reduce the risk of harm to the environment."
Councillor Joy Jones, county councillor for Newtown, said she believes the incident was just an unfortunate accident.
She said: "I think the accident was just one of those unfortunate things and thankfully nobody was killed or indeed hurt.
"I hope it is a one off and I certainly don't recall anything like that happening before so I don't think it is a problem area at all."
