Yeastbound carriageway: how a lorry-load of Marmite brought the M1 to a standstill

 

For once it didn't matter where you stood on the great Marmite divide – news that a tanker carrying more than 23 tonnes of the yeast extract had overturned on the M1 prompted hosannas from headline writers and united a nation of Twitter wits.

The tanker was heading to the company's factory in Burton-on-Trent, Staffordshire, when it spilled its contents after a collision with a motor caravan. Part of the M1 near Rotherham was shut after Monday night's incident, which required a massive clean-up. The tanker driver was taken to hospital but no one was seriously hurt, police said.

Meanwhile, the airwaves and Twitter were deluged by a slurry of jokes and puns. "Marmite lorry spill causes jam on M1," proclaimed the first, inevitable headline.

Radio 4's Today programme was also bombarded with punning emails. The best, according to the presenters, read: "Was the Marmite crash on the yeast-bound carriageway?"

By lunchtime Marmite was trending on Twitter, above George Osborne's Autumn Statement.

One wit tweeted: "Marmite lorry crashes. Some people will love this news, others will hate it."

Spread alert: Jokes you'll either love or hate

Radio stations were flooded with comedy comments alongside the puns flooding Twitter.

@Queen_UK (Elizabeth Windsor): One hates marmite

@MetroUK: Marmite spill closes M1. Spread the news

 

@im_seo_Alan: Love it or hate it? It seems this lorry driver hated it. I guess quite a few motorists do now too

@clurr: There's 20 tonnes of marmite on the m1! quick, to sheffield with toast

 

@badgerwriting: Marmite' motorway clean up begins on the M1? Makes a difference to jam...

Jeremy Vine, the Radio 2 presenter, revived one of his brother Tim's jokes with: "I won a prize the other day. A lifetime's supply of Marmite. One jar."

 

The spillage distracted from news that Marmite employees have voted for strike action against brand owners Unilever over changes to pension contributions. Tom Watson, the campaigning Labour MP, tweeted: "Marmite strike? I guess public opinion will be divided."

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Career Services

Day In a Page

Is Ridley Scott the most macho man in movies?

Ridley Scott: The most macho man in movies?

His cinematic CV is unparalleled. Yet the Alien director is still obsessed with beating his rivals.
Being Gary Lineker: The clean-cut anchorman is this summer's Mr Sport

Being Gary Lineker

The clean-cut anchorman is this summer's Mr Sport...
Gallic gourmets are putting French cuisine back on the culinary map

Gallic gourmets put France back on culinary map

Overdone, out of touch and old-fashioned: French cuisine has never been at a lower ebb...
So Moorish: Mark Hix offers his own take on classic Moroccan dishes

So Moorish: Mark Hix's Moroccan dishes

Why not create a north African-inspired feast to share with your friends?
Sin and the single mother: The history of lone parenthood

Sin and the single mother

Maureen Paton explores the history of lone parenthood.
The outsider: Margaret Howell is British fashion's queen of minimalism

The outsider: Margaret Howell

The designer tells Susannah Frankel why she has never felt part of the fashion industry.
The 50 Best luggage

The 50 Best luggage

From chic cases to compact baggage, pack it all in this summer
For men only: A pilgrimage to Mount Athos in Greece

For men only: A pilgrimage to Mount Athos

On a secluded peninsula in north-east Greece lies an enclave that's way off the tourist map, especially for women...
48 Hours In: Faro

48 Hours In: Faro

More than just the gateway to the Algarve, this city has much to tempt you off the beach.
Here, the coast is always clear: Celebrating sixty years of Pembrokeshire's National Park

60 years of Pembrokeshire's National Park

Mick Webb reveals a land of puffins, tanks and Hollywood blockbusters.
Free Range: Meet the designers of tomorrow

Free Range

Meet the artists of the future
Feeding a hungry world – or meddling with laws of nature?

Feeding a hungry world – or meddling with laws of nature?

As scientists at Rothamsted's GM trials plead with activists not to sabotage their work, Michael McCarthy visits the battle field
Monkey meat that could be behind the next HIV

Monkey meat that could be behind the next HIV

Deep in Cameroon's rainforests, poachers are killing primates for food. Evan Williams reports from Yokadouma on a practice that could create a pandemic
Catcalls, whistles, groping: just another day for a young woman

Catcalls, whistles, groping: just another day for a young woman

Government urged to take abuse more seriously as London study shows 41 per cent are harassed
Jailing of Maori separatists stirs colonial-era resentment

Jailing of Maori separatists stirs colonial-era resentment

Militant Tuhoe tribe members defiant amid claims race relations had been set back 100 years