Tank removed from M4

Traffic officers from Highways England acted quickly to stop congestion on the M4 near Swindon after a low loader carrying a Challenger tank ran into problems.

The low loader had to pull over on the exit slip road at junction 16 due to a flat tyre on Sunday (6 March) evening.

It looked like a full closure of the motorway for up 90 minutes would be necessary along with a diversion route through the centre of Swindon, so the tyre could be replaced.

But quick thinking Highways England traffic officers arranged for the army personnel in attendance to drive the tank and low loader off the motorway separately so the repairs could be carried out away from the road.

A road closure was quickly put in place while the vehicles were removed and the whole incident was dealt with in 10 minutes.

Traffic officer team leader Sandy Osborough said: “We see all sorts in a day’s work but a tank is a bit unusual for us! We’re pleased we were able to deal with this incident quickly and keep disruption to a minimum for our customers.”