Huge load shatters the peace

It was 300ft-long and had to be carried on five vehicles with 90 wheels, and the astonishing sight brought people out into the street to take photographs.

Residents and motorists stopped in amazement as the huge load inched its way through the Black Country.

The giant transformer left a sub-station in Ocker Hill, Tipton, yesterday morning and took the day to travel through Wolverhampton. It was expected through Stafford today. The load, which stretched back 300ft, is being taken to Ellesmere Port where it will go on a boat down south and eventually into another sub-station in London.

Street signs and traffic signals were taken out to let it through on its crawl through Black Country roads. Residents on part of the route say cars in the way of the convoy were removed by a recovery lorry.

Jean Gibbons, aged 57, who lives in Craddock Street, Whitmore Reans, which was on the route, said: "They did give out notice and put flyers through people's doors but they were hauling people's cars on the back of a recovery wagon.

It is ludicrous – they should not bring things like this down here."

Contractors were out on the streets from 5am to prepare for the arrival of the load, which was carried on a total of five vehicles with 90 wheels. As the giant vehicles, from Hixton-based transportation experts Abnormal Load Engineering, made their way through the city, people came out of their homes to see what was going on.

Traffic lights along the route were removed where it was too narrow for the load to otherwise pass, such as lights on the Chapel Ash island. Railings were removed at the ring road next to St John's Retail Park to allow it to squeeze through.

While travelling through the city centre, long lines of slow traffic were stuck behind the convoy, which had a police escort.

As it made its way down Chapel Ash and Tettenhall Road shortly after midday, cars were backed up behind it to between the Chapel Ash island and Penn Road island. Among those who turned out to see the load was heavy load enthusiast Mike Boxall, 62, of Woodland Avenue, Tettenhall Wood. He said: "I have been following these kind of things for many years. This is a big one, although I did see one bigger in 1968 when a boiler came through."

Tina Yeomans, landlady of The Alexandra in Chapel Ash, joined her regulars outside to see what was happening. She said: "I have never seen anything of that size going through the city before."

It reached the A4123 Birmingham New Road at 10.30am before going along Grove Street, Dudley Road, Ring Road St John's, Ring Road St Mark's, Chapel Ash, Tettenhall Road, Newhampton Road West, Hunter Street,Craddock Street, Dunstall Road and Gorsebrook Road before heading out of the city on the A449 Stafford Road.