M11 Southbound Towards London Shut Down Due to Pigs

As unlikely of a story as it sounds, it was a big problem for many travelers last Wednesday. Apparently the southbound M11 towards London was shutdown early on Wednesday morning after a HGV carrying a consignment of 82 pigs crashed.

Essex Fire and Rescue Service attended the crash at Junction 8 to find that about 12 animals had actually escaped from the lorry and were running around free on the road. A spokesman said that the carriageway was closed while emergency crews tried to round up the pigs and secure them back in a makeshift pen.

A spokesman for the Essex Police said that about 50 of the animals are still trapped in the wreckage, which is blocking two lanes of traffic. The runaway pigs were seen nearby grazing on the embankment. The M11 had to remain shutdown for six hours while recovery work and repairs were done.

At the time, the spokesperson also said that the northbound carriageway had to be closed down for about two hours as well. This was due to the fear that the pigs could cross from the southbound lane and be a danger to road users.

The police spokesperson noted that the drive of the lorry did receive head and shoulder injuries in the collision and was taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital, Harlow. However, no further information was given on the driver’s condition at that time.

Although it is still not known what caused the collision in the first place, one thing is for sure, this crash caused a lot of problems for a lot of people. No word has been given if all 82 pigs survived the crash.