M6 gin crash: HGV collision closes motorway

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.

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.

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".