Five cows and dozens of sheep killed in truck crash

Published on Tuesday 24 August 2010 20:06

FIVE cattle and dozens of sheep have been killed after a 32-tonne truck overturned on a country road in the Lothians.

The cattle truck was transporting 330 sheep and five cows when it flipped onto its side shortly after 3pm yesterday.

Emergency services rushed to the scene at the entrance of the Arniston Estate near Gorebridge to find a scene of devastation.

More than 400 litres of diesel escaped from the vehicle after the crash and threatened to enter a nearby stream.

An emergency vet was requested by the attending services to put many of the injured animals down.

Firefighters used specialist equipment to stabilise the cattle transporter until a heavy recovery vehicle arrived.

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Fire and Rescue said that the driver of the truck had escaped unharmed by the time crews arrived. She said: "We were called to reports of a 32-tonne truck overturned outside the entrance to the Arniston Estate.

"The vehicle had been carrying five cattle and approximately 330 sheep.

"The driver was out of the vehicle by the time we got there.

"Also 400 litres of diesel, spilled as a result of the incident, were threatening to go into a nearby stream.

"We were involved in stabilising the truck until a heavy recovery vehicle could be brought in. Five cattle were humanely put down by a vet at the scene after being injured. Many of the sheep were killed when the vehicle overturned but it's not clear how many at this stage. The crew stood by while the vehicle was being righted and came away around 8.30pm."

A spokeswoman for Lothian and Borders Police confirmed that the B-road, which comes off the A7 at Gorebridge, remained closed last night due to the incident and that the road may need to be checked over by the local authority for any damage. He also confirmed that many of the sheep being carried had been killed in the incident, and that it is not yet known what caused the crash.

A spokeswoman for the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency said no streams or sources of water had been contaminated by the leaking diesel.

• A man was taken to hospital with burns after a fire broke out in his top floor flat. The 31-year-old was taken to the ERI by ambulance to be treated for his injuries. The blaze in his flat in Springwell Place, Dalry, broke out at 1.45am.

Fire crews were also called out just before 9pm last night to a property in Magdalene Avenue. The 76-year-old male occupant was treated at the scene by paramedics.