Gardaí identify animal fat spill truck

Gardaí have identified the truck they believe was responsible for the spillage of hundreds of gallons of animal fat which caused several accidents on roads around Cork yesterday.

They used CCTV footage and a partial registration number to trace the vehicle’s route before tracking down the driver, who was in Limerick on his return journey.

The haulage company’s owner was not available for comment last night.

A Garda spokesman confirmed gardaí spoke to the driver by phone and that the vehicle has been taken off the road pending further examination.

The spillage caused a spate of minor traffic accidents in the city and county. There were no report of injuries.

A key junction was closed while emergency services treated the spillage, resulting in lengthy delays to morning rush-hour traffic on the northside of the city.

The truck, which was pulling a tank full of animal fat for delivery to Kinsale in Co Cork, travelled some 300km from Mayo in the early hours yesterday.

It travelled along the Mallow Road at about 7am, along the Commons Road to the junction at the base of the North Ring Road.

Gardaí in Anglesea St got their first report of a car skidding in this part of the city at about 7.40am.

Another report came in a few minutes later.

It was first thought that an oil spillage was to blame, and a traffic alert was issued. However, when gardaí and fire crews arrived at the scene, they found animal fat on the surface.

The truck had turned right towards the city, crossed the Christy Ring Bridge and turned left up Lavitt’s Quay, Merchant’s Quay, and Anderson’s Quay.

It turned right on to Custom House St, and crossed the river on to Albert St — where gardaí got reports of a slippery road surface at about 8am — before it joined the South Link Road.

It then drove towards the Kinsale Road roundabout, where gardaí got reports of two single-vehicle accidents — one at 8.05am and the other at 8.30am.

The truck then drove up the airport hill, through Fivemilebridge, Riverstick, Belgooly, and on to its final destination at Kinsale where it made its delivery.

Gardaí later got reports of several cars skidding off the road in the Riverstick area.

The Garda spokesman said they cross-referenced the times of the accidents, and reviewed CCTV footage, and noticed the same truck in all the shots.

He said roads were wet at the time, and when the animal fat mixed with the rain, the road surface was like “an ice-rink”. He said: “We were very lucky that we didn’t have to deal with anything more serious than a few minor road accidents.”