Traffic came to a standstill yesterday for the biggest load ever transported on Britain's roads – heavier than a space shuttle.
The giant transformer and specialised transporter vehicle weighed an earth-shattering 640 tonnes – thousands of pounds heavier than a Nasa spacecraft.
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.
It began its slow journey from Didcot power station in Oxfordshire on Friday and caused 13-mile long tailbacks when it wound its way along the M4 on Saturday, leaving the motorway on Sunday to avoid a weak point after Bath.
Yesterday it continued along the M32 to the transformer's final destination at Avonmouth Docks, Bristol, arriving at 6pm. 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.
A spokesman for Wiltshire Police, who had asked people to avoid the area, said: "Police vehicles had to ensure the road and traffic ahead was managed to ensure there was no conflict with the load. There are only a few locations where traffic could pass. "
The generator transformer is the second and largest of three being removed from Didcot power station as part of its decommissioning programme.
The mammoth delivery was the second giant abnormal load to make its way through the region in recent weeks
