An HGV driver who overturned his vehicle on the A1(M) in North Yorkshire resulting in a seven-hour road closure has been arrested after he failed a roadside drugs test.
Emergency services were called out to the damage-only collision near Scotch Corner on Wednesday (15 May) at around 6.15am.
Firefighters and paramedics attended the scene on the northbound carriageway at junction 53 for the A66 to help free the driver of the overturned cab of a white MAN lorry.
North Yorkshire police said he escaped without injury but later failed a roadside drug test for cannabis.
The 42-year-old truck driver from the Wirral, Merseyside, was arrested and later charged with failing to provide a specimen for analysis.
He was also found in possession of cannabis and was given a cannabis warning.
The force said he had been bailed to appear at York Magistrates’ Court on 13 June 2024.
A North Yorkshire police spokesperson said: “The lorry’s trailer contained cardboard packaging, but fuel from the vehicle spilt onto the carriageway.
“Diversions were in place until around 1.45pm while the vehicle was safely recovered, and the spillage cleared by highways officers.”
The police spokesperson added that they were now keen to hear from witnesses or any motorist with dashcam footage of the incident to contact them and make a report.
