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Motorway reopens after cows rescued from overturned lorry

Pacemaker the underside of a lorry can be seen after it overturned. there are a number of rescue workers on top of the lorry and standing to its side. The area is surrounded in green bushes, trees and long grass. Pacemaker
Most cows were rescued but a small number of cows had to be put down after the livestock lorry overturned

Cows have been rescued after a livestock lorry overturned on the M1 motorway at about 05:30 BST on Friday morning.

The Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI), the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS) and two animal rescue teams attended the scene, with 40 cattle involved in the incident.

The driver of the lorry sustained minor injuries and was taken to hospital, police said.

"A vet, along with specially trained officers attended the scene and humanely euthanised a number cattle that had been badly injured," Ch Supt Sam Donaldson added.

Pacemaker Emergency services attend the scene of a crash on the M1 motorway. An overturned lorry can be seen in the distance with a number of fire appliances parked nearby. Another blue livestock lorry is parked close by the overturned lorry.Pacemaker
A section of the M1 motorway was closed in both directions

Earlier, the motorway was closed between junctions 11 and 12 in both directions, but has since fully reopened.

The remaining animals have been removed and the lorry recovered.

"I would like to thank the public for their patience while we carried out this complex recovery operation," Ch Supt Donaldson added.

"I am appealing to anyone who witnessed the collision or to anyone who may have footage that could assist with enquiries to contact police."

David Doherty, area commander for the NIFRS, told BBC Radio Ulster's The Nolan Show that 30 firefighters attended the scene along with appliances from Dungannon, Portadown and Armagh.

He added that vets attended the scene to assess the animals' welfare alongside the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (Daera).

The live cattle were placed into another lorry to be transferred from the site.

'Total gridlock'

Lucas Vogan. He has short white hair, wearing sunglasses on his head and a light blue short sleeve shirt. He is standing on a motorway bridge with his hands behind his back.
Local resident Lucas Vogan said his neighbours missed hospital appointments due to the traffic

Lucas Vogan is a local resident in the Birches in County Armagh.

"There was a greater volume of traffic with the Balmoral Show already... so the diversion has caused much disruption," Mr Vogan told BBC News NI.

"The rural roads which people were diverted onto aren't built for that volume of traffic, there has been total gridlock - delays of up to two hours and local residents couldn't get in and out if their houses.

"People just had to phone work and say they couldn't come - neighbours of ours missed their hospital appointments."