M1 remains partially closed amid operation to free cows after lorry overturns

The M1 remains partially closed following an operation to free cattle from a livestock lorry which overturned.

The motorway is still shut in some sections in the eastern direction near Lurgan, Co Armagh, following the incident which involved about 40 cows on Friday morning.

David Doherty, area commander for the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service (NIFRS), said the driver “is safe and well”.

He told the BBC Nolan Show: “At the minute, we have 30 firefighters on scene, we have appliances form Dungannon, Portadown and Armagh.

“We have two specialist animal rescue teams… and we have our specialist rescue team.“We have an overturned lorry. Thankfully, the driver is safe and well.

“There are 40 cattle trapped in the lorry, we are carrying out an extraction of those animals.

“We have a rescue plan in place, we are off-loading those animals into another vehicle and we will transport them away safely.

“It is a challenging operation at the moment.”

He added: “We have vets on scene at the minute to do an assessment on the animals.

“It is a multi-agency programme, and we have DAERA looking after the animal welfare.

“It will be a protracted operation. A large vehicle like this with two decks, which has obviously been affected by the impact of the crash.

“It is quite a comprehensive operation, that is why our specialist crew are here assisting our normal crews.

“It is quite a complex task for our firefighters.”

Mr Doherty said rescue workers were moving as quickly as possible to free the cows.

He said: “We have to bring them out on to a safe environment, where we can put them on to another vehicle where they won’t be exposed to any further harm.”

A PSNI spokesperson said: “The westbound lane on the M1 near Lurgan has now fully reopened, following an earlier closure due to an overturned cattle lorry.

“Some sections of the eastbound lane will remain closed while the vehicle is recovered.

“This may take a number of hours.

“Motorists travelling eastbound can come off at junction 13, travel along the Derryhubbert Road, where traffic lights will be in place, and back on to the M1 at junction 12.”

A Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: “The department is aware of the accident and has deployed a vet and an animal health and welfare inspector to assist at the scene.

“The incident remains ongoing.”

In a separate incident, the M1 is also closed following a collision closer to Belfast.

A PSNI statement said: “Road users are advised that a collision on the M1 eastbound, between Finaghy and the Blacks Road, city-bound, is causing delays.

“Please seek an alternative route if possible.”