A lorry overturned and a motorcyclist came off his bike in the incidents on Eastway, Fulwood, Preston, at lunchtime on Wednesday, causing serious delays for drivers.

The spilled fuel had been reported to police shortly after 8am, who then passed on the details to the county council.

But only part of the diesel was cleared up by contractors – close to the Broughton roundabout – leaving fuel further down the road.

In the first incident, a wagon ended up on its side as it tried to negotiate the roundabout at the junction with Andertons Way at 12.30pm.

The driver was uninjured.

And 25 minutes later a biker had to be taken to the Royal Preston Hospital after he fell off his bike at the Sherwood Way roundabout.

He suffered hip injuries but they are not thought to be life threatening.

One security worker on the North Preston Employment Area in Fulwood had reported the spillage to police at 8.20am after a driver had struggled to get up a hilly stretch.

He said: "I told the police, there was diesel all over the road.

"They promised they would pass it on to the council.

"Someone could have been killed."

A Lancashire County Council spokesman said: "We had a call of fuel spilled on Eastway at 9.55am and turned out a contractor.

"They found some fuel in the Broughton area and cleaned it up.

"We then had a second call of diesel on Andertons Way not related to the first call but linked to an accident."



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