Industry News from Yes Insurance

A giant magnet is being used by road-cleaning vehicles to help make the UK's major routes safer.

The magnet is attached to a vehicle and picks up loose pieces of metal which are on the road and can cause accidents.

In the past 18 months, more than three tonnes of metal has been collected by the vehicles which have covered the M4, M3 and A34 in Surrey, Hampshire and Berkshire.

It is hoped that by clearing the road of these pieces of metal their will be a reduced chance of a vehicle suffering tyre damage and therefore fewer car insurance claims.

Among the items which have so far been obtained are money, nails, spanners, scaffold clips and wheel nuts.

"The large bar magnet makes this an extremely useful machine which is helping us to improve safety for road users," said Angela Koenig of the Highways Agency.

"The road sweeper completes four actions in one, sweeping, litter picking, cleaning gullies and picking up metal objects."

The new magnet-adorned road cleaner may go nationwide soon.

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