A lorry fire closed two lanes of the M6 today, causing rush hour delays for thousands of drivers.

Traffic backed up more than five miles after a tipper truck carrying 12.5 tons of sludge destined for landfill caught fire between junction 10A at Wolverhampton and junction 10 at Walsall.

The first and second lanes of the southbound carriageway between both junctions 10A and 10 were closed after the blaze broke out at 6.50am. The second lane was reopened at 9am.

Motorists faced delays of up to two hours as queues stretched back to junction 12 at Cannock.

A total of 23 firefighters from Cannock, Penkridge and Walsall were sent to the scene of the blaze.

The lorry and its load was moved onto the hard shoulder of the motorway while firefighters cooled it down. The cleaning team from the Environmental Agency were also at the scene this morning.

Driver Laura Blunt was caught in the traffic problems during her rush hour journey from Erdington to Wolverhampton.

The 26-year-old office worker said: “Normally the journey takes about 30 minutes but today it took one-hour-and-a-half. It was an absolute nightmare.”

The crash caused traffic to spill onto main roads around Wolverhampton.