The M6 has reopened after a lorry carrying 32,000 litres of gin was involved in a collision and began leaking its cargo onto the motorway.
The road was shut in Cheshire between junction 19 at Knutsford and junction 20 at Lymm following a collision between two lorries at around 5.30pm on Wednesday.
Divers were stationary in their cars for about four hours as police turned vehicles around on the northbound carriageway, according to reports.
Hundreds stranded in gridlock traffic on the M6 began to post jokes and puns about the "gincident", with one stuck motorists saying she was heartbroken she didn't have a straw.
Emergency services worked overnight to stop the spilt alcohol from catching on fire and the M6 reopened at 4.30am this morning.
Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service said on Twitter they were dealing with a "spillage of flammable liquid" on the road, and that motorists were advised to avoid the area after queues built up.
A 300m cordon had been put in place "as a precautionary measure" with the carriageway closed in both directions, the fire service added.
Rachael Sargeant was one of the drivers caught up in the traffic, joking on twitter that it was "heartbreaking she didn't have a straw" as she sat 200 yards away from the spilt gin.
Her journey took nine hours, she added later.
The "gincident" prompted a steam of puns and jokes on social media, with people saying the drink could have been a "tonic" for those caught up in the gridlock.
One commenter asked if the problem was in the "sloe lane" while another tweeted that those stranded "just had to gin and bear it."
Natwich Police also tweeted: "Last night’s major #ginicident was on the rocks for a while but after plenty shaking and even more stirring the MG is back open!
"Tanqueray no one was seriously injured and everything's now been schwepped away."
