A MASSIVE spill of cream caused chaos on a major North-East road.

One lane of a two-mile stretch of the A171 Teesside to Whitby dual carriageway could be closed until after the weekend - because the clean-up operation left it treacherously slippery.

Problems began when a tanker leaked 150 gallons of cream on the road between the Woodhouse roundabout at Guisborough and Swans Corner, at Nunthorpe, near Middlesbrough, on Tuesday.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council, along with the emergency services, decided to close the westbound carriageway while the cream was removed.

But industrial cleaning agents failed to shift the cream, leaving a greasy residue on the road.

Now, high-pressure hoses, gritters and road sweepers are being used to get rid of the grease, but it is going to be a long process.

The inside lane of the westbound carriageway is still closed although the outside lane has reopened.