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Police dropped road spikes on an Auckland motorway in error, causing seven passing cars to have their tyres popped.
The incident at 3.30am Friday has prompted a refresher talk for officers about how to store spikes properly.
Inspector Jim Wilson said officers put the "Tactical Deflation Device" (TTD) on the roof of their car to make room for a man they were arresting.
But they forgot to put the spikes back and they fell across several lanes of the Southern Motorway near Greenlane.
Seven vehicles ran over them.
A police spokesperson said members of the public phoned police but as those first calls were coming in, other staff were already on the road, clearing the spikes.
Wilson said everyone with a damaged car will be reimbursed.
"This is a regrettable situation and our staff have made a genuine mistake," he said.
"As a result, we will be having further discussions with our staff highlighting the learnings from this incident around storage of TDDs," he said.
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