Tailbacks misery after M6 lorry fire

Drivers faced three-hour delays and 16-mile tailbacks after a lorry fire on the M6 in Staffordshire. The HGV, which was carrying empty glass bottles, shed some of its load.

The incident sparked a six-hour clean-up operation.

The fire happened on the southbound carriageway between junctions 14 for Stafford North and 13 for Stafford. Fire crews were called to the scene at around 10.30am yesterday but drivers were still feeling the effects of the congestion hours later.

All three lanes were closed immediately after the fire and the road did not fully reopen until just before 5pm. The tailbacks also had an impact on roads in and around Stafford.

The carriageway fully reopened at 4.48pm but the congestion took hours to clear. The blaze is believed to have broken out in the lorry's tyre before spreading to the rest of the vehicle, but the driver was unharmed.

Some drivers faced nightmare journeys across Staf-ford, with reports of traffic building up on roads including the A449 in Rising Brook, Weston Road, Wol-verhampton Road and the A34 Stone Road blocked up.

Traffic problems were compounded by another crash between a car and van which sent fuel spilling on to Blackheath Lane at its junction with Weston Road at around 2.45pm .

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