Biggest-ever load transported on Britain's roads weighing more than a SPACE SHUTTLE crawls to destination at 4mph
- Giant transformer and specialised transporter vehicle weigh 640 tonnes
- In total it was 100m long and 5m wide and took up two lanes of the motorway
- Vehicle caused 13-mile long tailbacks when it wound its way along the M4
Traffic came to a standstill for the biggest
load ever transported on Britain's roads that weighed in heavier than a space
shuttle.
The giant transformer and specialised
transporter vehicle tipped the scales at an earth shattering 640
tonnes.
The enormous vehicle was 100m long and 5m wide
and took up two lanes of the motorway while it crawled to its final destination
at just 4mph.
The convoy began its slow journey from Didcot power
station in Oxfordshire and caused 13-mile long tailbacks when it wound
its way along the M4.
It continued along the M32 to the
transformer's final destination at Avonmouth Docks, Bristol.
The transformer will next be transported by
sea to a Siemens plant in Germany.
Police officers escorted the load at the
expense of the haulier, Allelys Heavy Haulage.
Traffic chaos in the wake of one of the biggest loads to
take to the roads as it passed under Liddington Bridge near Swindon
A spokesman for Wiltshire Police said: 'Police
vehicles had to ensure the road and traffic ahead was managed to ensure there
was no conflict with the load.
'There were only a few locations where traffic
could pass. Police asked motorists to avoid the area and plan alternative travel
routes.'
The generator transformer is the second and
largest of three being removed from Didcot power station as part of its
decommissioning programme.
The first was moved at the beginning of November.
Didcot, a coal fired power station, was
disconnected from the National Grid in March after 43 years of
service.
The transformer will next be transported by sea to a Siemens plant in Germany
