A trucker who spilled thousands of litres of super slippery paraffin wax over a 30-mile stretch of motorway is being hunted by police in Germany.

The stretch of A 7 autobahn near Kassel has become unusable because of the high risk of skidding, reported local media.

A total of 15 specialist cleaning trucks have been attempting to remove the wax for two days but said to still need more time.

Experts are now using superheated water to shift the wax, used in the manufacture of candles.

Gottingen Police explained: “The A 7 between the Northeim-Nord junction (Northeim district) and Hann Muenden-Lutterberg (Goettingen district) has been completely closed since the night (Monday 9th Jan). The cause of the contamination has not yet been identified.”

They believe that a tanker truck probably lost it as a liquid which then hardened on the asphalt.

They said there was no danger to the environment or to people from the liquid paraffin, but that several road users had slipped on the very greasy surface.

No accidents were reported before the road could be closed.

Police have appealed for help in identifying the truck that lost the load.