Tanker spills 14,000 litres of petrol into Wanganui stream

A tanker spilled almost half of its 30,000 litres of petrol into a Wanganui stream after a fatal accident.

The fully-laden Shell vehicle crashed down a bank into the stream north of Wanganui after colliding with a car on Saturday.

The tanker driver escaped with minor injuries but one of the three people in the car died.

About 14,000 litres of petrol spilled, said Emma Goodwin, spokeswoman for Horizons, the regional council for Wanganui-Manawatu.

"We could only start the clean up yesterday morning.

"Our operation was only able to contain what was left in the truck and what was still leaking," she said.

Berms were used to stop petrol washing downstream as the council clean-up crew tried to soak up the fuel with absorbent materials.

The council had yet to determine the long term impact of the spill on the stream.

Meanwhile, police warned people not to fish in the stream for up to three days.

Emergency services closed State Highway 3 at Maxwell from 10.45pm on Saturday until 8pm yesterday while the tanker was retrieved and leaked fuel pumped from the site.

Police said that the accident happened after one of the vehicles crossed the centre line.

They have yet to name the crash victim.

- NZPA