AROUND 700 litres of diesel was spilled on to a major Dorset route after a crash on Wednesday (December 20).

The incident happened on the A350 between Iwerne Minster and Stourpaine at around 7pm.

Firefighters said an articulated lorry, involved in the incident with a car, had spilled the diesel on to the carriageway.

“The spill (was) quite significant, with lots of fuel across the road,” a Blandford Fire Station spokesperson said.

The road was closed in both directions while precautions were taken and the fuel cleared.

Meanwhile, Dorset Council then carried out emergency resurfacing work on the stretch.

Crews repairing the A350 at Stepleton bends after the crash. Picture: Dorset Council

A spokesperson said Highways workers “removed the contaminated road surface” and replaced it on Thursday (December 21), with the road re-opened on Thursday evening.

“The (crash), between a heavy goods vehicle and car, caused the HGV’s fuel tank to rupture, leaving 700 litres of diesel oil on the road surface,” they added.

“Emergency services, the Environment Agency and our Highways team attended the incident and the oil was quickly contained.

“However, the oil did cause some damage to the carriageway surface, so we closed the road to enable emergency repairs to get the contaminated surface back to a usable condition.”