UPDATE: |M6 shuts all night with traffic delays warning after dramatic lorry fire News

The HGV fire prompted a large emergency response on Monday morning

A huge closure is to remain in place on the M6 overnight after a dramatic lorry fire damaged the carriageway.

Fire crews spent hours battling the horror HGV blaze on the northbound carriageway between junctions 22 at Winwick and 23 for the East Lancs Road in the early hours of Monday morning (April 14).

Crews from the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service were first called out to the scene at 2.21am and worked through to 6.52am, with excessive damage caused to the road surface by the flames.

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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.

However, lanes remained closed off on the northbound carriageway throughout Monday afternoon. National Highways North-West later confirmed that there would be a full closure in place for resurfacing works to be carried out overnight, into Tuesday morning (April 15).

An update posted on Monday evening read: “The M6 northbound is now closed between J21A (M62) J23 (Haydock) for emergency resurfacing following an earlier vehicle fire.

“These works will be taking place overnight with them being removed prior to the morning rush hour. Allow extra journey time.”

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.”

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