UPDATE: |Crews spend hours battling huge lorry fire as M6 closed News

Repairs are taking place on the road

Fire crews spent more than four hours tackling a huge lorry fire on the M6.

The motorway remains closed northbound between junctions 22 at Winwick and 23 for the East Lancs Road, at Haydock Island, this morning (April 14).

Crews were called out to the scene at 2.21am and worked through to 6.52am.

Both sides of the M6 were initially closed as huge plumes of smoke billowed across the motorway, before the southbound carriageway was later allowed to open.

National Highways has warned motorists that the northbound carriageway will continue to be closed for several hours as repairs take place.

Drivers are also facing delays on both the A49 in Newton-le-Willows and the A579 at Winwick, as motorists avoid the M6 closure.

Images from the scene overnight showed huge plumes of smoke billowing from the lorry fire

Flames could also be seen soaring from the vehicle, with fire crews in attendance.

Recovery and repair work is now ongoing at the scene. Traffic on the M62 is also being stopped from joining the M6 northbound at junction 10.

A spokesperson for Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said: “Fire crews were called to an HGV fire on the M6 northbound between junctions 22 and 23 in the early hours of this morning, April 14.

“Crews were alerted at 2.21am and on scene at 2.33am, with two fire engines from Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service and one from Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service in attendance.

“Crews arrived to find a HGV trailer well alight. The driver was out of the vehicle on arrival and in a place of safety.

“Traffic flow on the carriageway was managed by the Highways agency and police with intermittent closures of parts of the carriageway and lane closures owing to firefighting activity and a significant smoke plume.

“Firefighters wearing breathing apparatus were able to extinguish the main part of the fire by 4.45am using main jets and hose reel jets and were damping down by around 5.00am. Firefighting had ceased by 6.34am and crews left the scene at 6.52am.”

A National Highways spokesperson added: “The closure is expected to remain in place for several hours due to the significance of the blaze and the high likelihood of carriageway repairs once the fire has been extinguished.”