‘Hero’ lorry driver screens England game for motorists stuck in traffic

‘It went from being a terrible day, to a lovely experience,’ Barrie Pulford says

A group of motorists watch the England v Germany game on the M62 on 29 June, 2021 (Vicky Thomas/Twitter )

A lorry driver has been called a “hero” for inviting other motorists to watch the England vs Germany game on his TV while they were stuck in traffic on the M62 motorway.

Barrie Pulford, 57, screened the Euro 2020 game from a television he placed in the footwell of his truck, after a Carling van had burst into flames, causing a 13-mile tailback.

The fire started just after 1pm on Tuesday, resulting in large queues on the westbound lanes of the M62. With football fans worried they would be unable to watch the 5pm kick-off, Mr Pulford came to the rescue.

A crowd of drivers stood next to his lorry to see the match, which ended 2-0 to England, the first time in 55 years that the country has knocked Germany out of an international competition.

Speaking to SWNS, Mr Pulford, who lives in Wigan, said: “I wouldn’t class myself as a hero, but I did what needed to be done. We all wanted to watch it.

“It went from being a terrible day, to a lovely experience. It was brilliant.”

The 57 year-old said that everyone was in “good spirits”, despite traffic being at a standstill for five hours.

Referring to the van bursting into flames on the same day as the England game, he described it as the “most British thing I’ve ever heard of”.

Charlotte Nichols, the Labour MP for Warrington North, was also stuck behind the Carling van on her return from canvassing for the Batley and Spen by-election.

After spending three hours in traffic, she tweeted a picture of the fire along with the words: “Pleased to see that this sacrifice to the footballing gods has been accepted.”

“It’s coming home!” she added.

Carling confirmed on social media that its driver was not hurt in the incident, adding that it was “gutted for those who missed the match”.

“Looks like there were some heroes out there. Thanks to those expressing concern for the driver,” the message said.

Additional reporting from SWNS